---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 248 1/14/2000 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net ............................ David LeBlanc [2] Letters to the Editor ................. Your Page! [3] TRIVIA CONTEST ........................ Win *real* prizes! [4] Network Buzz .......................... News, gossip & rumors [5] Ramblings 2000 ........................ Rich Johnston [6] Had Your Phil? ........................ Phillip White [7] Venting My Spleen ..................... David Groenewegen [8] Sound And Fury ........................ Craig Lemon [9] Stranger in a Strange Land ............ Jennifer M. Contino [10] Some Pages, A Cover, and A Few Staples. Marlan Harris [11] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [12] My View: TIMESPELL .................... David LeBlanc [13] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [14] HYPE! Section ......................... Various [A] Submission, Back Issues, Copyrights ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by ONElist: http://www.onelist.com/community/ComicBookNetworkEmag HTML WEB EDITION at -->> http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem featuring a week's worth of the online strip: Steve Conley's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o \o/ _ o _| \ / |_ o_ \o/ o /|\ | /\ _\o \o | o/ O/_ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ |\ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The ComicBook Network was founded by Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ----------------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to receive each issue automatically through your Email account, FREE, please send amessage FROM that account TO: ComicBookNetworkEmag-subscribe@onelist.com To UNSUBSCRIBE send a message FROM the account to be dropped to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@onelist.com See section [A] for the address to mail material to be reviewed. ______________________________________________________________________ All text contained within is copyrighted to the originating author(s). Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine is Copyright 2000 by The ComicBook Network. You may freely distribute or retransmit this file intact without alteration for noncommercial purposes only. Except for personal archiving, permission must be obtained from the individual authors to reproduce, retransmit, or publish any part of this magazine. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc Sometimes there is just not a lot that comes to mind when I go to write this column. And some times, like this week, there is so much going on in "the real world" that I do not even have time to come up with a topic or collect some bits about comics from other media or even rant about the internet, E-mail and so on. This week we had the very first snow of the season, our first snow in 305 days in Massachusetts which is a record. And, as usual with the first storm, everyone forgot how to drive! But as is normal we made it through it all. That just added to a very stress filled week with issues at work, and home, family and other things kept hitting one right after the other. Sometimes I just think I should take a week off from the mag to just relax more - and yet as the columns roll in and the news is gathered I get as excited about putting it together as I did years ago. I have only suspspended the mag for family vacation so far, I guess a death in the family would also be cause to put things aside for several days as well. And speaking of years ago - you may notice we are approaching yet another divisible by 25 anniversary issue soon and more importantly, our real anniversary month - February. That is the month I began as editor four years ago, we began the trivia contest shortly after and the last issue in February will mark 5 years of publication. We will have some fun celebrating, and as usual some special prizes for the trivia contest so stick around. And check out these new comics this week: AARDVARK VANAHEIM Cerebus #250, 2.25 ACCLAIM COMICS Shadowman Vol 3 #5, 2.50 CLUB 408 GRAPHICS Timespell #4, 2.95 <-------------Pick of the Week!! COATES PUBLISHING, INC The Art Of Nick Cardy, 24.95 DC COMICS Millennium Edition Watchmen #1, 2.50 INSIGHT STUDIOS GROUP Liberty Meadows #6, 2.95 MARVEL COMICS Earth X #11 (Of 12) (resolicited), 2.99 And speaking of anniversaries - give a nod and a congratulatory E-Mail to Charles LePage who is celebrating the 5th anniversary of the New Comics Releases List. We are happy to have NCRL as the longest running feature contributed to the Emag from another source. Thanks Chuck for taking us along with you. David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: Letters of comment may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Subj: Peter Bagge at Suck.com Date: 1/10/00 7:00:23 PM Eastern Standard Time From: reynolds@fantagraphics.com (Eric Reynolds) Hi Folks - Thought you might like to know that Peter Bagge has done an all-new strip for the excellent www.suck.com, which debuted Friday and is archived at: http://www.suck.com/daily/2000/01/07/ In it, Bagge reports live from the "Infomercial Oscars" in Las Vegas, Nevada (!), and features a guest appearance by none other than CONNIE SELLECA! Can you afford to miss it? Of course not, even if it *wasn't* free... Also, I should add that beginning February 1, Bagge will be contributing an all-new, bi-weekly strip for www.adobe.com, the graphic design software giant. The strip will star Chet & Bunny Leeway, those luvvable and upwardly-mobile yuppies from Bagge's NEAT STUFF days. Should be fun... - E. P.S. For those of you who wish to comment, Pete's always happy to get mail at BaggeHate1@aol.com... +++++ Subj: saluting dogs and exclamations of inhalations in comics Date: 1/9/00 5:10:19 AM Eastern Standard Time From: Jeff_Gentile@pmug.org (Jeff Gentile) Just read Rich Johnson's "2000 Ramblings" in CBEM 247 and, despite it being two in the morning and well past time for me to go to bed, I found myself compelled to comment. I was a little disappointed when I read Rich's account of Joe Quesada's "life-transforming" problem about convincing Marvel to allow a pissing dog in the background of a comic book while those freewheeling movie executives would include the same action in a trailer for the new Rugrats movie. Rich makes it sound like disallowing the image of a dog urinating in the background of a comic book is tantamount to censoring a master artists greatest masterpiece. I know I'm showering a little bit of hyperbole on Rich's take, but I have to agree with Marvel in this case. Not that I agree with Marvel's excuse necessarily, but let's face it, unless the Dr. Strange mini-series is intended to be a tasteless, low brow humor story, what's the point of putting the saluting dog in the background in the first place? I haven't seen the miniseries, heard anything about it, or even read any Dr. Strange recently, but I just don't see that sort of joke image fitting in with a Dr. Strange story. Not to mention the fact that a pissing dog is almost cliche' anymore. I've read too many stories where a writer or artist put in something that was clearly intended to burn the establishment and/or excite readers because the inclusion was so brazen, but found that the injection lacked originality, distracted or pulled me away from the story, or just fell flat. I think that Rich would be better served by supporting other battles creators have with the company brass of a company. I think Marvel and DC may be lame about many things, but forcing a white out over a urine stream in a Dr. Strange story may have been a very wise move by Marvel to ensure a quality storyline. Somebody tell Quesada to get over it and produce his own independent comics in which to include urinating dogs (if he wants it so badly it's become a traumatic "life transforming" issue). And as for Tony Stark using the word "sucks" in the comics, I say don't let him do it. Come on! Just because it "seems" to be in the current vernacular of the youth today, it's NOT part of Tony Stark's vernacular. It's not the way he talks. It's not the way he's ever talked and certainly not the way he thinks, unless he's using someone else's words. I love a good story with well crafted dialogue and well crafted images - in whatever form that takes as long as theey fit the situation and characters. While pissing dogs and the word "sucks" may work from time to time, they don't work for the battles Rich is trying to support. jeff gentile jgentile@pps.k12.or.us ++ Subj: Re: saluting dogs and exclamations of inhalations in comics Date: 1/9/00 5:50:55 AM Eastern Standard Time From: twisting@hotmail.com (Rich Johnston) >Rich makes it sound like disallowing the image of a dog urinating >in the background of a comic book is tantamount to censoring a master >artists greatest masterpiece. I know I'm showering a little bit of >hyperbole on Rich's take, but I have to agree with Marvel in this case. Actually, that would be Joe's take. If you look at my comments, they were saying that this is hardly relevant, compared to what Marvel used to publish with their Epic line for example. My comment was "There we go people, canine urination and use of the word 'sucks' at Marvel. A far cry from the Epic Comics imprint, don't you think?" I printed the extract because a) it was a peek behind the curtain and b) I found it funny in a way Joe obviously didn't intend. >I think that Rich would be better served by supporting other >battles creators have with the company brass of a company. Oh I have. the changes in Finals, Ellis' Shoot story in Hellblazer, the pulping of Elseworlds book, creator problems at DC, who wrote Cable 75, the Bat-firings... just look in the Ramblings archives to see what I mean. >>time, they don't work for the battles Rich is trying to support. But this isn't one of those battles. Rich Johnston buffer buffer buffer ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/emag.htm QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. +Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you can stump+ +the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question.+ LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What unique cover enhancement was used in the DC/MILESTONE crossover, "WORLDS COLLIDE"? John Hernandez knew the DC/Milestone crossover had a Colorform cover and receives The Spider-Man Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Where did Tony Stark meet Happy Hogan? IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE The first correct answer to reach the editor wins the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm). The editor will be the sole judge as to which guess arrived first! Messages with more than one guess will be disqualified. LIMIT: ONE PRIZE PER MONTH PER PERSON! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Network Buzz News, gossip and rumors from around the industry From: kmcquain@ccp.cc.pa.us (McQuain, Kelly) PRESS RELEASE January 10, 2000 Philadelphia, PA--USA For immediate release (please forward to interested parties) Gay Philadelphia Writer Kelly McQuain's Story Censored by Batman Owners Riddle me this: What's the one thing the superhero Batman won't protect? Free speech. At least that's how Philadelphia writer Kelly McQuain sees it. His short story parody of the dynamic duo, "Je T'aime, Batman, Je T'adore," published in Simon & Schuster's anthology Best American Erotica 1999, has been excised from a second printing of that volume due to threatened legal action by the owners of the popular Batman character (DC Comics, the long-time publisher of Batman, is owned by media conglomerate Time Warner). "Joker, Penguin and Catwoman and now me," laughs McQuain. "I've joined Batman's rogue's gallery as Bat-enemy Number One." McQuain, who has been publishing short fiction since 1991, has had stories appear in The James White Review, The Harrington Gay Men's Fiction Quarterly, The Philadelphia Inquirer and elsewhere, and is the only writer to twice win the Philadelphia City Paper's annual Writing Award. The work responsible for the current controversy was first published in the anthology Best Gay Erotica 1997. At the time, it received favorable reviews in Publishers Weekly and the Philadelphia City Paper, which called the piece "an hilarious short story_ in which a hunky young Robin struggles with the Batlove that dares not speak its name." McQuain only recently became aware that his work was now being censored. "Shortly before New Year's, I was contacted by Susie Bright, the editor of the Best American Erotica series. The good news? The '99 edition had sold out and was going into a second printing. The bad news? My story was pulled. Batman's lawyers had contacted the publisher of the anthology, Simon & Schuster, and had threatened legal action. I was told that Simon & Schuster didn't care to fight the matter, and there was nothing I could do." Pulling a story from a strong-selling collection is a rarity in the publishing world. "On the bright side," notes McQuain, "anybody who has the first edition of Best American Erotica 1999 now has a collector's item. But on a more serious note, I believe my reference to the Batman character falls within the acceptable boundaries of parody usage. Certainly there are other such stories out there. A. M Homes wrote a wonderful sexual parody of Barbie in her collection The Safety of Objects, and back in the '60s the late Donald Barthelme published in his debut collection Come Back, Dr. Caligari a parody of Batman to which my own story is greatly indebted. That story never caused any stir as far as I know." McQuain, a native of Elkins, West Virginia, moved to Philadelphia several years ago to study at Temple University, from which he earned a Master's degree in Creative Writing. For a short time in the mid-90s he worked as a comic book artist for Comico, a Chicago-based comics company. McQuain figures that a July 1999 New York Times article about his short story and the popularity of erotica anthologies ("Batman's Robin Shaves His Legs? Erotica as a Portrait of the Age") is what prompted Batman's handlers to cry foul. "The lawyers' concern is a testament to the story's success," concludes McQuain, who has read plenty of lesser parodies of trademarked characters published on the Internet. "The fact that my story has been widely published in anthologies such as Best Gay Erotica 1997 and Wilma Loves Betty, and has garnered praise from Publisher's Weekly, Lambda Book Report and web-zines as far away as Australia, is what makes it dangerous." McQuain admits that he hasn't been approached by any lawyers wielding Batarangs or Bat-cuffs--and he shrugs off any concern about such contact in the future. "My story is a love story told from Robin's point-of-view, based on dreams and fantasies from my childhood and adolescence. The Robin I refer to, Dick Grayson, is not even used by DC Comics as Robin anymore--they've revamped Batman and his attendant characters so many times that the current incarnations bear little or no resemblance to the toys I played with as a child or the characters I watched on TV. And as for playing around with Batman's sexuality, it wasn't me who added a codpiece and aroused nipples to his costume in the recent spate of bat-movies! If Batman's homoeroticism is so worrisome, the powers that be have themselves to thank." But Robin's bawdy hero worship of his mentor isn't the heart of the issue, stresses McQuain. "Trust me, I'm not getting rich off this story, nor was that ever my plan. But how can somebody tell me I am not allowed to commit a dream or a fantasy I've had onto paper? I think it's interesting and appropriate that a vigilante like Batman would serve as the springboard in a disagreement that blurs the line between hero and villain. But controversies involving free speech often make champions out of the unlikeliest of candidates. Take a look at Larry Flynt. Batman should be fighting the Legion of Doom or the Riddler--not me." Still, the imbroglio hasn't dampened McQuain's love of the dark knight or his sidekick. "The best way DC Comics could get me to shut up would be to have me write a few issues," he smiles. "That's been a dream of mine. I wouldn't exactly overhaul the characters, but I think I could provide Batman with the dose of humor he needs to get his bat-panties out of the bunch they're in." In the meantime, McQuain will continue polishing a first collection of short stories, The Truth of Boys, for which he has just begun to search for a publisher. His latest story, "Erasing Sonny" appears in the newly released anthology Men on Men 2000 (Plume). Along with other contributors to that anthology, McQuain will be reading at Borders Books in Center City Philadelphia, 18th and Market Streets, on March 2nd at 7:30 p.m. ******* For Additional Information/or Interviews with the Author: To contact Kelly McQuain kellymcquain@myself.com 215-545-6003 To contact Susie Bright, the editor of Best American Erotica 1999: SueB@well.com +++++ Jan. 10th, 2000 COMICOLOGY is Back with Style --- Now Bringing New Life to Modern Comics Fandom with TwoMorrows ### Harbor Studios Inc. & TwoMorrows Publishing are proud to announce the addition of COMICOLOGY to the TwoMorrows family of comics magazines! "I couldn't be more pleased," said Brian Saner Lamken, Harbor's creative director & the editor of COMICOLOGY. "ALTER EGO, COMIC BOOK ARTIST, & THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR are as fine a collection of magazines as you'll find, and I'd like to think that COMICOLOGY is worthy of their company." COMICOLOGY Volume Two launches in April as a quarterly, 100-page magazine with a U.S. price of $5.95. "Fans will get more bang for their buck from COMICOLOGY than from just about any other magazine," Lamken said. "The whole TwoMorrows line is like that. We'll have major features in every issue, light on the advertising and so heavy on the in-depth interviews, reviews, commentary, historical retrospectives, & sketchbook sections that we'll probably need extra-strength staples." What's on tap for the first issue of the new COMICOLOGY? Bruce Timm, a co-creator of the Emmy-winning DC Comics animated series, provides a cover celebrating 60 Years of Robin the Boy Wonder, while Lea Hernandez serves up a flip-side cover featuring characters from her critically acclaimed TEXAS STEAMPUNK graphic novels. In addition to heavily illustrated chats with Hernandez and Timm, the all-new COMICOLOGY #1 offers a look at Stan Sakai's critically acclaimed USAGI YOJIMBO; a gallery of rare & previously unpublished Timm artwork that spotlights your favorite DC & Marvel Comics characters as well as a few surprises; and a long conversation with Jeph Loeb, who's not only a founder of the controversial Awesome Entertainment but the Eisner-winning writer of DC's flagship SUPERMAN series, BATMAN: DARK VICTORY and THE LONG HALLOWEEN, and the DC Comics/Vertigo miniseries THE WITCHING HOUR. The TwoMorrows magazine group began in 1994 with the launch of THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR, a not-for-profit publication authorized by the Kirby estate. In 1998, John & Pam Morrow -- owners & operators of TwoMorrows Advertising & Design -- kicked TwoMorrows Publishing into high gear with the introduction of COMIC-BOOK ARTIST, a now-bimonthly magazine packaged by Jon B. Cooke, associate editor of the Morrows' KIRBY COLLECTOR, and devoted to the great comic-book creators of the Silver and Bronze Ages. Roy Thomas, a longtime writer/editor for DC & Marvel Comics, revived his & Jerry Bails' great fanzine ALTER EGO within the pages of COMIC-BOOK ARTIST before spinning it off into its own quarterly title last year, focusing on interviews with Thomas' many collaborators as well as other Golden & Silver Age creators whom he's long admired. Each issue of ALTER EGO now includes an installment of PC Hamerlinck's FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA, along with special contributions from Bill Schelly, writer/publisher of THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMICS FANDOM from Hamster Press, and writer/artist/historian Michael T. Gilbert, who offers up regular doses of MR. MONSTER'S COMIC CRYPT. You can find out more about the TwoMorrows Publications family of magazines by visiting its Website at . Brian Saner Lamken has nearly a decade of experience as a writer, cartoonist, & graphic designer. He penned the introductions to the X-MEN & SPIDER-MAN editions in the Marvel Comics Postcard Book series from Running Press; once storyboarded a Sea Monkeys commercial for a home-shopping television channel; and published his first book, PRO-MOTION: HOW TODAY'S CREATORS BROKE INTO COMICS... AND THEIR ADVICE TO YOU!, a collection of interviews with various comics professionals, through his own Boardwalk Press in 1995. "I can honestly say that this will be COMICOLOGY the way that I'd always imagined it should be," Lamken quoted himself as stating for this very press release. "Only a few people know this, but COMICOLOGY actually began life in 1996 as an old-style fanzine. It was a spinoff of COMICSCRYPT -- a weekly in-store newsletter that I was doing at the time for a small chain of stores in the Philadelphia area called Fat Jack's Comicrypt -- and I attempted to get it off the ground in both weekly & monthly versions to other retailers. Later that year, I decided to try to make a go of it as a saddle-stitched magazine with direct-market distribution. "A quarterly schedule was just going to be impossible to keep given my other commitments," he continued, "but I had all this great material prepared for what began as a cover story for the still-gestating COMICOLOGY and took on a life of its own as a very unique project. Then I realized that a series of less frequent, book-format periodicals gave me the leeway that I needed in scheduling and the range that I wanted in terms of page count & subject matter. The inimitable Stefan Blitz coined the slogan 'The Magazine That Belongs on Your Bookshelf', and we were in business." COMICOLOGY Volume One arrived in comics shops nationwide in January 1999, devoted almost exclusively to Mark Waid & Alex Ross' fan-favorite DC Comics graphic novel KINGDOM COME. Its playful but comprehensive annotations, the previously unpublished Ross artwork, excerpts from Ross' original concept proposal, an index of the story's characters that acted as a virtual encyclopedia of past & present DC history, and its in-depth interviews covering Ross' EARTH X and Waid's KINGDOM spinoff sequel in addition to the backstory of KINGDOM COME itself, garnered rave reviews from critics, readers, and retailers everywhere. Shortly after its release, however, DC Comics asked that Harbor Studios Inc. cease & desist from the sale & distribution of COMICOLOGY Volume One on the grounds that it infringed unfairly on DC's intellectual-property rights. "I'd had some health problems," said Lamken, "so the next volume wasn't ready to go, and since, despite the consumer demand, I couldn't go back to press on Volume One due to my agreement to abide by DC's cease-&-desist request, COMICOLOGY had to close up shop for a while. Now I'm happy to say that it's back in style. There's no long-term ill will towards DC on my behalf, as evidenced by the fact that our new first issue has a wonderful gallery that includes various publishers' characters as drawn by one of the guiding hands of THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES." "I absolutely believe that there's a place for COMICOLOGY in today's marketplace," Lamken concluded. "We're staking out the ground between WIZARD & THE COMICS JOURNAL, in terms of both tone & content, and since we won't be covering breaking news we're not competing with PREVIEWS, COMIC SHOP NEWS, or COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE, let alone the Internet. Another solid comics magazine out there can only be good for the industry. "You wouldn't believe the number of phone calls, E-mail exchanges, and in-person conversations that I've shared with fans & creators hungry for something like us, sick of certain magazines' willful attempts to alienate readers through petty snobbery or toilet humor & adolescent-in-the-worst-way boorishness. Our mission is to cover good comics, period. As I wrote in my first COMICOLOGY editorial just over a year ago: Mainstream or alternative, slice-of-life or superheroes, gems of comics history or harbingers of tomorrow, we hope to celebrate it all within our pages in days to come, and you're invited to the party." Text (no capitals) and Rich-Text Format (with bold and italics) versions of this press release are attached. Please contact us for graphics or other material and specify which file types are easiest for you to use. COMICOLOGY Phone: (610) 645-4369 Fax: (610) 645-5346 E-Mail: COMICOLOGY@AOL.com TwoMorrows Publishing Phone: (919) 833-8092 Fax: (919) 833-8023 E-Mail: TwoMorrow@AOL.com +++++ Blue Phoenix Ezine Launches HUNTINGTON, W. Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2000--Cecil and Tiffany Adkins wish to announce the first issue of the Blue Phoenix Ezine, an electronic publication containing short stories, reviews, interviews, artwork, and much, much more. The philosophy behind Blue Phoenix is simple: to find previously unknown talent -- in various fields of entertainment -- and then bring it to the forefront of Web-based publications. The first issue of Blue Phoenix features several gripping short stories, as well as a couple of touching poems. Also headlining the issue are interviews with two of the top talents in the comic book industry: Mark Waid and Erik Larsen. Mark Waid is responsible for (among others) the award-winning, critically acclaimed KINGDOM COME from DC Comics, DC's FLASH, and Marvel Comics' CAPTAIN AMERICA. Erik Larsen is best known for his creator-owned title, SAVAGE DRAGON, but has also made his name on such Marvel Comics books as SPIDER-MAN, WOLVERINE, and NOVA. The first issue of Blue Phoenix also has word search puzzles, editorial columns bristling with opinion, Windows desktop wallpaper, and much, much more. SOURCE: DigitalWork ( http://www.digitalwork.com ) DigitalWork.com -- Your Business Workshop +++++ THE HARVEY AWARDS POST OFFICE BOX 329 • NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061 PHONE: (413) 586-9844 • FAX: (413) 586-8295 E-MAIL: HarveyAwards@hotmail.com ______________________________________________ HARVEY AWARDS MOVE TO PITTSBURGH! Northampton, MA, January 7, 2000 — The comic industry's venerable Harvey Awards, named after the late comics genius Harvey Kurtzman, have a new home at the Pittsburgh Comicon. The 15th annual Harvey Awards will take place on Saturday evening, April 29, 2000. A new team has been convened to oversee the awards ceremony and balloting, including long-time Harvey Award administrator Paul McSpadden. The Harvey Awards are one of the comics industry's oldest and most respected awards. The Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in 24 categories, ranging from Best Artist to the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame. They are the only industry awards both nominated by and selected by the full body of comics professionals. Beginning in 1986 at the Chicago Comic-Con, the Harveys enjoyed long runs at the Dallas Fantasy Fair and, most recently, at Oakland's Wondercon. The Pittsburgh Comicon is the fourth venue for the awards. Adele Kurtzman, Harvey's widow, selected Pittsburgh Comicon as the site for the 2000 and 2001 Harvey Awards after careful consideration of the alternatives. “I felt it was time to make a change,” Mrs. Kurtzman said. "The annual award banquet in Dallas was a wonderful event for Harvey, our family, and the many professionals and fans who supported and attended it. I want to return to that special feeling. I've always like the city of Pittsburgh, and my daughter Nellie and I are very much looking forward to being there in April.” The Pittsburgh Comicon is run by Michael and Renee George and has a reputation as one of the best organized comic conventions in the country. In 1999, the show's attendance topped 7,500 and attracted more than 300 comics and media professionals. Pittsburgh is also known for its good works: the convention raised more than $55,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation over its first six years, and last year alone Pittsburgh raised in excess of $5,000 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Pittsburgh Comicon was also the host of the CBLDF's 1999 Defender of Liberty Award. This year's Defender of Liberty Award ceremony will follow the Harvey Awards on Saturday night. "We're thrilled to be given the opportunity to host the Harveys,” said Renee George. "We want Pittsburgh to become a `must-attend' convention. These prestigious awards are a major step in that direction. My husband and I and our staff will support this program to the very best of our abilities.” Adele Kurtzman also named a new administrative team to oversee the details of the balloting process and the awards ceremony. As Harvey Awards Administrator, Paul McSpadden spearheads a volunteer committee consisting of Denis Kitchen, Chris Oarr, Chris Bleistein, and Nellie Kurtzman. Paul McSpadden, who works at the Head Start program in Dallas, was the individual most responsible for the Harvey Awards during its Dallas period. He and his wife Connie accept the thankless task of hand counting many thousands of individual category nomination ballots, as well as the final winning ballots. "It's an honor to be back," said McSpadden. “I have the utmost respect for Harvey, both as a person and creator, and want that same dignity he personified to carry over into the awards.” He added that initial nomination ballots would be mailed to qualified professionals in mid-January. (Note: Any industry professional who does not receive a ballot should contact the e-mail address listed below.) Denis Kitchen, under his former Kitchen Sink Press imprint, published several collections of Harvey Kurtzman's work, including Goodman Beaver, From Aargh! To Zap!, Hey Look!, and Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book. He also serves as the literary and art agent for the Kurtzman estate. "I'm very happy to become involved in the Harvey Awards,” Kitchen said. "When I was at Kitchen Sink Press it was one of my favorite events of the year. It is the intention of the committee to make this award and presentation better than ever, in honor of Harvey Kurtzman and the pinnacle of quality and creativity he represents.” "I'm delighted that Paul McSpadden is willing to become involved again,” said Mrs. Kurtzman. "And Harvey and I have had a long and warm history with Denis.” The announcement of the master of ceremonies and guest speaker for the Harvey Awards banquet will be made at a later date. * * * Contact Information For Press Information or to obtain a Harvey Awards Ballot contact HarveyAwards@hotmail.com For Banquet/Convention Information, contact Michael & Renee George at pcomicon@nb.net Phone (814) 467-4116 Fax (814) 467-4416 Web site: http://www.pittsburghcomicon.com For General Information, contact Denis Kitchen Phone (413) 586-9844 Fax (413) 586-8295 * * * Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993) was a cartoonist, writer, editor and comics genius. He is probably best remembered for MAD, which he founded in 1952. He created 28 revolutionary issues with such talent as Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Wally Wood but left after a bitter falling out in 1956 with E.C. publisher Bill Gaines (for whom he also created Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat). Kurtzman then created the short-lived satire magazine Trump for Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner in 1957. He followed with the comic-size Humbug in 1958, then Help! magazine. During his Help! tenure he discovered such diverse talent as Terry Gilliam, Gloria Steinem, Gilbert Shelton, and R. Crumb. In 1962 he and collaborator Will Elder began producing the long-running and elaborate "Little Annie Fanny" comic for Playboy. In the ‘70s he became known as the "father-in-law of underground comix" for inspiring a new generation of media-bending cartoonists. To historians of pop culture, Mr. Kurtzman is one of the most important figures in postwar America. ---The New York Times Kurtzman has been the single most significant influence on a couple of generations of comic artists. ---Art Spiegelman +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ BLADE TRIAL BOMBSHELL COULD AFFECT X-MEN MOVIE! MARVEL LOST ALL RELEASE FORMS, CHECKS BEFORE 1980'S! January 10: Virtually unreported by the comics press, Marvel Comics Civil Action #97638RRM has been grinding away for months in the Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware. The court trial is the final act in a drawn out and bitterly contested dispute between Marv Wolfman and Marvel Comics over the ownership of the character, BLADE. While the BLADE case has yet to be decided on its merits, facts of interest to the comics community are starting to surface, gleened from the sworn testimony and depositions presented by ex-editors of the company such as Jim Shooter and Roy Thomas and freelancers such as John Byrne and Tom Palmer. The most devastating of these, in terms of possible immediate ramifications on Marvel's ongoing business, may be the sworn testimony of Carol Platt, Marvel's Director of Intellectual Property and Publishing Rights, on November 17th, 1999. Under direct examination by a Ms. Kleinick, an attorney in the Delaware lawfirm retained by Marvel, Platt testified that Marvel can't find any records pertaining to freelancer payments or releases prior to late 1979 and the early 1980's! Here is the complete exchange from the official court transcript as obtained by the SPLASH from the office of the Court Reporter: Kleinick: Are you familiar with the records that are maintained by Marvel? Platt: Yes. Q: Did you conduct a search of Marvel's records in an effort to locate the checks that were issued to Marvel freelancers during the 1970's? A: Yes. Q: Can you describe the search you conducted? A: We checked the files that were in house in Marvel's offices, and then thoroughly went through the printout of the description of all the boxes in the warehouse, and, based on those descriptions, ordered certain boxes to be pulled by the warehouse. I then went over and spent a day at the warehouse going through those boxes to check their contents. Q:And who at Marvel is responsible for indexing the list, the index you referred to? A:When a person prepares a box of documents for storage, that person is responsible for preparing a list of what is in the box, and a description. They are then handed to whichever person in that point in time is in charge of warehousing documents, and the description and the contents are put on the front of the box, and its recorded in a book and sent to the warehouse. Q: Was the search that you conducted limited to checks issued to Mr. Wolfman during that period, or did you search for checks issued to any freelancer during the 1970's? A: We were really looking for anything that came from that period. Q: And were you able to locate any checks that were issued to any freelancers during that period? A: There was nothing that we found that went back earlier than the eighties. Q: Did you conduct a similar search of Marvel's records with respect to the artwork release forms executed by freelancers during the 1970's? A: Yes. Q: And what was the date of the oldest artwork release form that you were able to locate in Marvel's files? A: I believe it was 1979, was the earliest one. While Marvel's inability to produce signed work-for-hire agreements or canceled checks from a period predating January 1st 1978, at which time the revamping of the concept of "Work Made For Hire" as redefined in the 1976 Copyright Act became effective, and the early 80's, may indeed directly affect the BLADE trial, its ultimate and more immediate impact may be across the country, where big Hollywood money is riding on the production and summer release of the X-MEN film, which many hope will turn Marvel's sagging fortunes around. The immediate problem facing Marvel is that many of the main characters in the film, such as WOLVERINE , STORM, SABRETOOTH, MYSTIQUE and ROGUE were created near or during that period for which Marvel can produce no records of ownership. Louise Nemschoff, Los Angeles-based entertainment and intellectual property lawyer who represents a number of comic book writers and artists, described the scope of Marvel's new dilemma this way: "The news [about the state of Marvel's records] is troubling but not surprising. The comic book industry, in general, was relatively slow in recognizing the need to document chain of title. "A studio that plans to invest millions of dollars to produce a motion picture wants a clear and unequivocal chain of title to the property as a whole and to all of the characters that will be appearing in the film. If there is no paperwork confirming the publisher's ownership of rights or assigning the rights from the creator to the publisher, there is always a risk of litigation. In the absence of written contracts clearly setting forth ownership of the rights to a character, a court would ultimately have to determine a number of issues, including who created the character, whether the character was created as a work-made-for-hire, whether the publisher had an oral or implied contract for the rights to the character, what the terms of that agreement might be, and whether the creators claims have been barred by the statute of limitations. Even if the studio and publisher finally prevail, the litigation itself could result in significant costs and delay the production." Coming in the wake of recent revelations concerning the copyright status of such comic book crown jewel characters as SUPERMAN and CAPTAIN AMERICA, the Platt testimony may deal another body blow to the once impregnable hegemony of large comic book publishers over characters and property rights. Developing. +++++ From Beau Yarbrough's Comic Wire at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/ 'CY-GOR' GOES BACK IN HIS CAGE, FOR NOW Have you heard the one about Image Comics' "Cy-Gor" being canceled? It's true, it turns out. But that's not the whole story. "I'm told by the folks at [Todd McFarlane Productions] that the solicitations for 'CY-Gor' #7 and 8 were canceled and that the plan is to get a new artist and relaunch the book," series writer Rick Vietch told the Comic Wire on Wednesday. "I've written up through #9 but am currently awaiting word from TMP to get back on it." 'WAITING' ALMOST OVER FOR MEDLEY FANS While nothing's set in stone, it looks likely that this summer, Linda Medley fans will finally be getting the one-two punch they've been waiting for, when DC/Vertigo's "Books of Faerie" miniseries finally arrives in comic shops. And with the illustration for that series under her belt, Medley will also be returning to the creator-owned series she made her name with (and won an Eisner award for), "Castle Waiting." "The first new story line is entitled 'Solicitine' and is all about the Castle's resident nun, Sister Peace, and her life from barmaid to circus carny to convent, and beyond," Medley told the Comic Wire on Tuesday. "The regular story line also moves along, with some big revelations about Jain's past." DAVE GIBBONS DOES LEGION OF SUPER PETS, BATMAN, NEW GODS Dave Gibbons is best-known for his work on "The Watchmen." While the DC Comics series written by Alan Moore is widely regarded as a classic, it's certainly not a "fun" book. Look to see the fun side of Gibbons soon. "I'm working on a segment of an insane book that Evan Dorkin has written for DC, called 'World's Funnest," Gibbons told the Comic Wire on Tuesday. "I get to draw Bat-Mite, Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Legion of Super Pets, amongst others." There's also more Gibbons on the way in the next few months. "I'm drawing a backup for Walter Simonson's 'Orion' series; a Batman black and white short [in 'Batman: Gotham Knights']; hopefully something with Alan Moore and a new series of my own, written and drawn, a little down the line. "Phew. Back to work...!" THE LONG LoEG WAIT Waiting for Alan Moore's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" #5? Keep on waiting. DC Comics announced Wednesday that the book - already delayed for quite some time - has been pushed back to April. Other comics bumped back are the Millennium Edition of "Whiz Comics" #2 (now arriving in stores on Feb. 2), "Secret Files and Origins of the DC Universe" (Feb. 2), "Batman: Gotham City Secret Files" (Feb. 23) and "Yeah #7" (Feb. 2). +++++ From the Comics Continuum at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/: Friday, Jan. 14, 2000 THIS JUST IN: WITCHBLADE CASTING Top Cow's David Wohl told The Continuum on Friday that casting for Witchblade television movie should be announced soon. The TNT film will begin production on Feb. 14 in Toronto. Wohl said he and Top Cow head Marc Silvestri will probably meet with director Ralph Hemecker on Saturday. The movie will serve as a pilot for a possible series on TNT. A start-up for Witchblade has been delayed several times with script problems. J.D. Zeik, who also wrote Ronin, was brought in and wrote the script that will be used in the movie. THIS JUST IN: MARTS' MARVEL MINIS Mike Marts is editing several upcoming mini-series and provided The Continuum with creative teams, lengths and shipping dates. Here's a rundown: Power Park will be a four-issue mini-series starting in June. It will be written by Shon Bury, penciled by Colleen Doran and inked by Terry Austin. Sinister will be a four-issue mini-series starting in September. It will be written by Fabian Nicieza, with an artist to be named. Saga of The Spaceknights will be a five-issue mini-series starting in August. It will be written by Jim Starlin, with art by Chris Batista and Chip Wallace. The Buzz will be a three-issue mini-series, spinning out of Spider-Girl. It will be written by Tom DeFalco, with art by Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema. IMAGE COVERS GET GUIDELINES Jim Valentino, publisher of Image Comics, has issued a set of guidelines for trade dress for Image covers. The rules include: The Image "i" must appear in the upper lift corner only. The "i" is to be unadorned. It can be made any color. The "i" is to include the issue number and price "drop box" on the bottom of the stem. The "i" is to be no less than 1 3/4 " tall. There are to be no other logos save the image "i" on any cover. Web site addresses are allowed. Valentino said he's standardizing trade dress "to strengthen the Image brand." +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com Spider-Man ---------- FROM DAILY VARIETY: Although the internet rumor-mill heralded it last week, Monday's Daily Variety came through with some concrete details on the prospect of director Sam Raimi (For Love of the Game) helming the Spider-Man movie. Although it's not yet a done deal, Sony is working hard to accommodate Raimi and bring him on board as the Spidey director. As we mentioned in our previous update, Raimi's commitment to filming The Gift looks to be in conflict with Sony's plans for Spider-Man. However, according to the Variety article Raimi, is agreeable to doing Spidey if Sony can come to an agreement with Paramount and Tom Rosenberg's Lakeshore Entertainment. Sony is trying to convince Lakeshore to freeze post-production on The Gift so that Raimi can go directly into filming on Spider-Man in spring or early summer. Raimi would then do post-production on both movies later in the year. This is obviously a hardship for Lakeshore/Paramount and, to that end, Sony is said to be offering a seven figure compensation package to make it happen. The article states that Raimi is a Spider-Man fanatic. He apparently wowed executives at a recent meeting and leap-frogged over previous favorites David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) and Chris Columbus (Bicentennial Man). Raimi was the #1 vote-getter in a Comics 2 Film readers poll from March 1999, which asked comic movie fans who they wanted to direct the Spider-Man movie. http://www.variety.com FROM SPIDER-MAN HYPE: A source for the Spider-Man Hype website claims that Marvel is unhappy with screenwriter David Koepp's work on the Spider-Man movie. Sony is said to be looking to bring in David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner) to "revise the script to fit Marvel's need." The anonymous source also claims that rumor has it Digital Domain (Titanic) and Fantasy2 (Terminator) have already worked CGI effects costing $20 million. To us, this sound suspiciously like the rumors that surrounded the Hulk movie and the pre-production CGI rumored to have been done on that. http://www.spidermanhype.com Lady Death: The Animation ------------------------- Want to see more of Lady Death: The Animation? Our friends at ADV Films sent a few more pieces of preview artwork our way. The first image is of a demonic character named S‚ance. We're told this character has been created just for the movie. Next up we have the matronly Agnes. Agnes is described as Elderly townswoman and friend of Hope (as Lady Death was known when she was a child). After experiencing some technical difficulties the website promoting Lady Death: The Animation is now up and running. Go to http://www.ladydeaththemovie.com for news about the upcoming animated feature. The current site features a run down of the characters from the cast and an interview with Lady Death creator Brian Pulido. Future updates to the site will feature production artwork and animated trailers. (Sorry, images only available on the Comics 2 Film website at http://www.comics2film.com) FROM CORONA COMING ATTRACTIONS: In other X-Men news: Corona Coming Attractions ran a report from a scooper who claims to have the inside word on the trailer for the X- Men movie. According to the scooper, the trailer will run with the upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio flick The Beach as well as with Scream 3. The scooper refutes reports that the trailer will feature computer scans of various X-Men characters. The scooper claims An abbreviated version of the trailer is also set to run during Super Bowl. This version is said to contain short scenes of Rogue, Cyclops, Magneto, Professor X and a shot of Wolverine going 'snikt'. Music is said to be Bugman from blur. Corona could not fully vouch for the scooper's credibility. However, they did qualify the report by saying at least one element of it checks out 100% with other information they have, so it's possible other elements may be on the up-and-up as well. http://www.corona.bc.ca Witchblade ---------- FROM CINESCAPE: The long-awaited Witchblade TV movie may be moving forward according to a recent report from Cinescape. A tipster quoted the online magazine a passage from the Ontario Film Development Corporation's media list dated 1/7/2000. The document lists productions shooting in Ontario and Witchblade is among them. According to the report, filming is set for February 14 to March 17 or this year. This is interesting, although we've heard no casting announcements regarding the show, so it seems unlikely they could be ready to lens in just over a month. Look for more on this development here. http://www.cinescape.com League of Extraordinary Gentlemen --------------------------------- FROM CORONA COMING ATTRACTIONS: Corona Coming Attractions recently spoke to producer-to-the- superheroes Don Murphy about the movie version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The producer told the website that Alex Ayers should wrap up his current draft of the screenplay in two months or so. Murphy also states that he's working closely with creator Alan Moore on the project. http://www.corona.bc.ca Shi --- FROM THE COMICS CONTINUUM: Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum received a progress report from Billy Tucci on the Shi feature film. "All is going well," Tucci told The Continuum. "They're hiring an A- list writer to do a polish on the script, because now that [Warner Bros] is involved, it's really taking off and going into a big budget with A-list stars." Tucci stated that an animated feature may also be in the works. "We also had a meeting on Friday with Media Blasters and they have a Japanimation Studio interested in Shi to make a 45-minute anime." The comic creator told The Continuum that he wouldn't mind doing the Warner Bros. feature in animation, which would give him more creative control and allow him to get it to market more rapidly. http://comicscontinuum.com/ +++++ From The Daily Buzz at http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html AOL Acquires DC Comics Parent Company Time Warner In what's believed to be the largest merger deal ever, Monday it was announced that America Online Inc. will buy Time Warner Inc., the world's largest media company and parent company to Warner Bros. - of which DC Comics is a division of - for approximately $163 billion in stock. The new company will be called AOL Time Warner, and AOL Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Case will become Chairman of the Board. Gerald M. Levin, Time Warner's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will become AOL Time Warner's Chief Executive Officer. The new company's brands will include, AOL, Time, CNN, CompuServe, Netscape, Sports Illustrated, People, HBO, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, AOL MovieFone, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Digital City, Warner Music Group, Spinner, Winamp, Fortune, AOL.COM, Entertainment Weekly, Looney Tunes, and of course, Warner Bros. and its division company DC Comics. Del Rey Gets X-Men Novel Rights Online news magazine Zentertainment is reporting Del Rey Books acquisition of the novelization rights to this summer's upcoming X-Men feature film. According to Zen, authors Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Star Wars: New Rebellion) and Dean Wesley Smith, writer of many Marvel-related novels, have been pegged to handle the novelization. Like Marvel Comics movie adaptation and movie 'prequel' specials, the X-Men Movie novel is scheduled for release in June (06/14/00), giving eager fans a chance to 'spoil'/familiarize themselves with the story before the film's theatrical release (currently 07/14/00). Marvel Masterworks Return - and Need Your Help! Marvel editor Tom Brevoort has confirmed that he is at work putting together a new edition of Marvel Masterworks series, but is in need of assistance from fans who may have copies of some classic pages by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Brevoort posted the following message to the Jack Kirby mailing list: “I've just started working on the first new Marvel Masterworks edition in seven years, this one featuring Fantastic Four #51-60 and FF Annual #4. For those who are wondering, the book should be in stores by November. "I haven't as yet gotten through all of the materials Marvel's reproduction department has in stock on these issues, but already I've come across a few issues for which the stats don't look all that great. And so, I am turning to Kirby fandom at large for some assistance. "What I'm looking for are good, crisp black-and-white copies of any of the pages for any of these stories. So if you happen to own any of the originals, or have overseas reprints that are in good shape, or whatever, and want to help out the cause, I'd certainly appreciate it. All I need are decent copies to work from. "Unfortunately, there's little in it for you. There's no payment involved, nor am I likely to get enough copies to be able to supply comps to the folks who lend a hand. About the best I can offer is a "special thanks" credit in the book itself. But, if anybody has any of this stuff, and would like to help out, please drop me an e-mail.” Brevoort can be reached at kitchent@aol.com DC Comics has announced that their plans to reprint the Will Eisner Library - a collection of a dozen Eisner graphic novels- will kick of in April 2000 with the release of A Contract With God Softcover Edition. Originally published in 1978, A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories is considered by many in the industry to be the first modern graphic novel. Drawing on his memories of growing up in the Bronx in the 1930s, Eisner created a series of thematically related stories exploring the immigrant experience and the struggle with life in a new nation. Later in 2000 and beyond DC plans to publish the remainder of the Eisner Library, including Life On Another Planet, The Dreamer, New York: The Big City, City People Notebook, To The Heart Of The Storm, Invisible People, The Building, Will Eisner Reader, Dropsie Avenue, A Life Force, and A Family Matter - in consultation with Eisner himself. And, beginning in May, DC will debut the first volume in a complete, chronological, full-color reprinting of Eisner's The Spirit in hardcover - with Volume 1 of The Spirit Archives. "Will Eisner is the single person most responsible for giving comics its brains,” DC quotes Alan Moore, in a sampling of the accolades Eisner has received over the years. "He has helped to provide an understanding of its workings that we must have if we are to take the medium forward rather than allowing it to stagnate. There is no one quite like Will Eisner. There never has been, and on my more pessimistic days, I doubt there ever will be.” Marvel Artists Appear On Cable Show Rob Allstetter Marvel Knights editors Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti will appear on the School's Out program of Cablevision's Metro Learning Channel next Tuesday at 5 PM (ET). Cablevision is available in the New York Tri-State area. Quesada and Palmiotti will teach, demonstrate and discuss how to make comic books in front of an audience of aspiring students who are interested in the comic book industry. McFarlane Goes Ape Todd (Spawn) McFarlane is producing and directing a new animated science fiction series for UPN. Tentatively titled Gorilla World, the series details a post-apocalyptic world where gorillas are calling the shots and humans are treated like monkeys. Sound familiar? McFarlane, who considers himself a Planet of the Apes fan, professes that the new series is not just a rip-off of the science fiction classic. "When was Fox [owner of the Apes' franchise] granted the rights to be the only people who talked about Darwin?” McFarlane said. "If they’re dumb enough not to do anything with that franchise, it's up to me.” The comic book creator added that the show's apes would look like real apes and not humans with masks on. As far as UPN is concerned, McFarlane, who is writing scripts with Steve Niles, is the man for the job. "He seems to understand the mind of 14-year-old kids and what would get them excited and glued to the set,” said Tom Nunan, UPN Entertainment president. “I think this is going to be one of the most original shows produced for next season.” --Variety WB Options Lee Manuscript Stan Lee has sold the film option of The Guardians--Book One: The Unbound to Warner Bros. The unpublished manuscript created by Lee and Larry Shultz chronicles the adventures of teen super-hero John Porter and his battle with an evil organization whose goal is to control the world. Shultz and Dave Smeds wrote the manuscript, which is described as the first novel in an on-going series. --The Hollywood Reporter +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE Dixon Reveals Marvel Knights Details Michael Doran, AnotherUniverse.com's Newsarama Writer Chuck Dixon is speaking about a bit about Marvel Knights, the new upcoming ongoing series he and artist Eduardo Barreto have in the works for the Marvel Knights imprint... "Marvel Knights is gonna be very much an anti-group book," Dixon explained, reiterating the series description he gave last month on his website's message board. "The 'team' is a rotating roster of Marvels greatest loners so they're going to need to find a reason to stick together for each adventure. No 'Marvel Knights assemble!' for these guys." "The first arc features Daredevil, Punisher, Black Widow, Dagger (of Cloak and Dagger) and Shang Chi. And before everyone climbs all over me I have worked out a way that Daredevil and Frank Castle can work on the same assignment without going after one another hammer and tong." "The series as I see it will move between urban crime action and stories where the group meet some of the heavier villains in the Marvel Universe. These latter stories will give these major badguys a sort of X-Files treatment. So we're not gonna see Daredevil in space or Black Widow in Asgard. The action will stay in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn." "There will be some ongoing subplots but they'll only involve the group members who don't have regular books. I'm not here to step on any other creators' toes." "And am I glad to be back writing some Punisher? You bet." "Am I thrilled to finally have a monthly with Ed Barrto? Oh yeah!" "Ed's the perfect guy for me to team with for the kind of street level buttkicking we plan on this book." +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail: subscribe@ZENtertainment.com DC INTRODUCES 'REALWORLDS' IMPRINT DC Comics introduces its REALWORLDS imprint on March 1st with a Prestige Format BATMAN one-shot, by writers Christopher Golden (Buffy) and Tom Sniegoski, and artists Marshall Rogers and John Cebellero. This first special is set in our every-day, un-superpowered world, where a 37-year-old man's obsession with Batman from the 1960s TV show takes a turn for the worse upon the premiere of a new, darker Batman film on June 23rd,1989. Future REALWORLS one-shots will feature WONDER WOMAN, JLA, and SUPERMAN. +++++ From the DCOnline newsletter; http://www.dccomics.com/newsletter.html To subscribe, or for questions or comments about the DC newsletter, please email DCWebSite@aol.com. WIZARD TO FEATURE LEGION LOST #1 AS "BOOK OF THE MONTH" After the "Legion of the Damned" storyline received a "Thumbs Up" in Wizard #100 two months ago, the steady build of fan excitement for the Legion of Super-Heroes escalates with Wizard #103 slated to feature LEGION LOST #1 as the "Book of the Month" in its "Picks" column. Wizard #103 will also be the first place fans and retailers can see the cover art for LEGION LOST #1, which was omitted from solicitation in order to avoid spoiling the series' finale. According to Wizard Editor Brian Cunningham: "The Legion's cool again thanks to the new team's sharp storytelling. Wizard wants to reflect the Legion's rebirth by promoting LEGION LOST to fans who crave a great Legion story, and we hope this miniseries will give new fans exposure to the greatest team of the 30th century!" Black and white advance copies of the first issue of the 12-issue LEGION LOST maxiseries are already generating buzz in the retail market for the first issue, which arrives in stores early in March. According to DC's Manager — Direct Sales Vince Letterio: "Based on the success of "Legion Of The Damned" and the current TITANS/LEGION: UNIVERSE ABLAZE miniseries, retailers are looking forward to LEGION LOST with great anticipation. Abnett and Lanning have shaken the LEGION up, and everyone's excited to see where things go from here." Picking up after the end of the team-shattering "Legion of the Damned," LEGION LOST provides the Legionnaires with their ultimate challenge: a year- long journey in unknown space that will test their long-standing relationships and reevaluate what remains of their ideals; forcing them to make brutal choices if they ever hope to make it back home. Mike McAvennie, LEGION editor explains: "The concept behind LEGION LOST starts out simply. Several Legionnaires are stranded in a completely unknown region of space, with no idea where they are or how they can get back. As the maxiseries progresses, the title takes on other layers for each of the members involved. Situations will force some Legionnaires to consider abandoning the ideals that make them heroes, especially if doing so can get them closer to home. Ultimately, they'll each have to learn that the ends may not justify the means. Finding their way home, they may very well lose more than they can ever recoup." Written by the "Damned" of team Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with stunning artwork by Olivier Coipel and Lanning, LEGION LOST #1 opens in uncharted space as a member of a hunted alien race comes across the wreckage of a destroyed Legion Outpost. Discovering log entries which introduce her to the Legion — and detail the team's final moments onboard — she searches the station further, finding several members of the fallen team hiding inside. In the months that follow, the Legionnaires will be forced to make their way through scores of worlds that have never heard of them, as they attempt to discover what has happened to the galaxy and friends they left behind. The Legion of Super-Heroes LEGION LOST Roll Call: Saturn Girl Live Wire Kid Quantum Brainiac 5.1 Umbra Apparition Ultra Boy Monstress Chameleon LEGION LOST #1 (JAN00 0228) arrives in comic-book stores March 1st with a cover price of $2.50 U.S. TIME WARNER'S ENTERTAINDOM EXTENDS DEAL WITH BRILLIANT DIGITAL FOR 15 ADDITIONAL SUPERMAN MULTIPATH ADVENTURE 'WEBISODES' Entertaindom, the online entertainment destination from Time Warner Digital, announced that it has exercised its option with Brilliant Digital Entertainment, Inc. to add 15 additional new 5-8 minute ``Webisodes'' for the 3-D animated Multipath Adventures of Superman. This extends the first season of Superman on Entertaindom to a full 30 Webisode commitment. The Superman adventure series is one of the anchor programs of Entertaindom which premiered on the Internet at www.entertaindom.com on November 29, 1999. To accommodate the additional shows, Entertaindom will be launching a new Multipath Channel within its online entertainment complex. The Brilliant Digital Multipath Movies feature full screen, full motion, real-time 3-D interactive animation produced using Brilliant Digital's B3D Studio tool set and efficient Internet delivery format. Brilliant's technology allows the creation of complex animation which can be easily accessed on the Internet via streaming media. By utilizing B3D, and its complementary Digital Projector, viewers can easily and quickly enjoy the most sophisticated story telling and 3-D rendering engine available via the Internet today. ``When we saw the quality of the animation Brilliant Digital delivered on Superman and the show's popularity on our site, we realized that a new technology and storytelling benchmark had been established on the Internet,'' said Jim Moloshok, the chief executive responsible for Entertaindom. ``Superman contains all of the excitement, pacing and special effects that until now had only been experienced in broadcast media or feature films. As a result of marketplace feedback, we are increasing our commitment to our own Superman Internet series.'' The initial order of 15 Superman Webisodes was produced for Entertaindom's debut, with new Webisodes being debuted each week. The newly-ordered Webisodes will premiere on Entertaindom beginning in the first half of 2000. The ``Multipath Movie Channel'' will ultimately feature at least five Multipath series produced by Brilliant Digital. Brilliant Digital president, Kevin Bermeister, commented, ``Entertaindom provides us with extremely high visibility for our proprietary full-screen Internet-delivered animation technology, content and in-house productions capabilities. Through distribution relationships we intend to establish large-scale visibility and traffic to our content and to build revenue from the massive growth expected in advertising, e-commerce and promotional expenditure on the web.'' Entertaindom is positioned to become the preeminent new media entertainment venture, embracing short-form entertainment, along with entertainment news, information, services, fan pages, community, and e-commerce relating to branded entertainment. Entertaindom is produced by Time Warner Digital Media and is accessible online at www.entertaindom.com. MARK HANERFELD DIES From Paul Levitz, DC's Executive Vice President and Publisher: "DC lost an old friend and contributor Tuesday, January 4th with the passing of Mark Hanerfeld. Mark was an active comics fan in the early days of NY fandom, and became the editor of The Comic Reader in the late '60s. In his run, it became the first publication to list upcoming comics in a systematic form. Mark became an assistant editor at DC, working for Joe Orlando, and was particularly proud of his contributions to the fondly remembered experimental run of ADVENTURE COMICS backups in the early '70s. He wrote "The Wonderful World of Comics" (one of the early DC bullpen pages) and a few comics stories. At other times in his life, he served as DC's librarian, the editor of Marvel's UK line of reprints, and pitched in on many other projects for the field. Mark lives on as Abel, the ageless caretaker of the House of Secrets...a character modeled on him when the title was turned into a mystery comic in the '60s. Like Abel, Mark possessed a guileless innocence and a love of great stories, which he shared with friend and stranger alike." THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES/BATMAN BEYOND EPISODE SCHEDULE Warner Bros. Animation has supplied DC with the following air schedule for the animated The New Batman/Superman Adventures and Batman Beyond on the WB Network, airing Saturday mornings and on weekday afternoons. All times are Eastern and Pacific: 1/15/00 (8:00 am) "Unity" (Superman) 1/15/00 (9:00 am) "Terry's Friend Dates a Robot" (Batman Beyond - new) 1/17/00 (3:30 pm) "Legends of the Dark Knight" (Batman) 1/17/00 (4:30 pm) "Rats" (Batman Beyond) 1/18/00 (3:30 pm) "Fun and Games" (Superman) 1/18/00 (4:30 pm) "Double Talk" (Batman) 1/19/00 (3:30 pm) "House and Garden" (Batman) 1/19/00 (4:30 pm) "Target" (Superman) 1/20/00 (3:30 pm) "The Main Men Part 1" (Superman) 1/20/00 (4:30 pm) "The Main Men Part 2" (Superman) 1/21/00 (3:30 pm) "The Demon Within" (Batman) 1/21/00 (4:30 pm) "Dead Man's Hand" (Batman Beyond) 1/22/00 (8:00 am) "The Demon Reborn" (Superman) 1/22/00 (9:00 am) "Eyewitness" (Batman Beyond - new) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Ramblings 2000 Rich Johnston twisting@hotmail.com [Renamed for the new year, Ramblings 2000 continues to spread confirmed and unconfirmed news and rumours. It welcomes comment, especially comment that clarifies, refutes and corrects information already disseminated. Rich Johnston is an advertising copywriter, co-self publisher of Twist And Shout Comics, BBC comedy writer and comics columnist. He currently lives in South London, England. His column can be found online at: http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com All Ramblings e-mail received will be considered public domain and may be quoted.] This column is RUMOUR. Do not take anything here seriously. These RUMOURS are presented here as GOSSIP for their ENTERTAINMENT value. Dateline: 11 Jan 2000 Okay, lots of lovely stuff, for you to chomp through. Remember the Rumour Warning, remember the Rumour Barriers, let's get going. Chopping Block. I'm about to do something that often upsets a few of you. Look away now if you're of a squeamish disposition. Rumoured cancellation lists. I ask you to remember the 'rumour' part of this and also to recall that rumours about the cancellation of some of these books have been passed around before without result. And books like Deadpool have been officially cancelled and then un-cancelled just as quickly. So. The rumoured cancellation list for Marvel just handed to Ramblings is: * New Warriors * Deathlok * X-51 * Warlock * Spider-Man Unlimited The rumoured last issues of these is several months away and they are still being solicited in Previews. A number of involved creators were contacted via e-mail. None responded. One other prominent Marvel creator told me that he hadn't heard anything, but it wasn't uncommon not to hear anything, even if the info were true. Bill Rosemann, better known as Your Man @ Marvel has previously asked me to contact him before printing such things, so he can confirm or deny them. This time, Your Man @ Marvel told me that he couldn't comment on this story now... which, yes, does add some credence to the rumour. The rumour also states that there are 'more on the way'. Big Books. The theme for this year's DC Annuals will be 'International' And this year's 80 Page Giants will be a little different than the last couple of years. Instead of 8 to 10 page stories by different creative teams, usually someone hot and a load that aren't, they will all contain one 80 page story by a single creative team. Indeed Beau Yarborough's recent Comic Wire article mentioned that D. Curtis Johnson was writing the next JLA eighty-pager, emphasizing he was writing *all* of it. Vertigo Ventures. A bigger question, even louder than 'what will 2000AD be called next year' is what will Vertigo do when Preacher, their best selling title by a 2 to 1 margin, ends in September? Well a source tells us that was Topic #1 at a recent editorial retreat for Vertigo editors. The answer? They don't have one yet. So look for them to throw just about everything at a wall and hope something sticks. One alleged difficulty passed to us is that Karen's idea of a good comic is something like "Seekers into the Mystery" or "Proposition Player" which haven't attracted the necessary sales (although at least thing Prop Player is the bee's knees!). The other editors are proposing lots of interesting new titles and formats but Karen is shooting them down because they don't fit with her way of thinking. And as a result a number of editors have been murmuring about 'pulling a Stuart Moore' and nicking off to pastures new. Hmmm... sounds to me as if this source has a certain... shall we say 'bias'? As previously reported, top creators that Vertigo used to rely on have found pastures new ­ Marvel, Marvel Knights and Wildstorm, where (especially at Wildstorm) they have been treated with kid gloves, paid significantly more and given greater creative freedom. Look for the extension of semi-successful brands such as Transmetropolitan, The Great Satan, 100 Bullets and who knows, maybe even Happydale, in an attempt to do another 'Preacher'... which wasn't *that* successful when it started, you know? German Retreat. Action Comics penciller German Garcia is off the book already as has become increasingly hard to contact. As in not for weeks. A replacement is currently being sought, so expect a few fill-in issues. And with Ron Marz's departure from Green Lantern (a late last year's Rambling that was confirmed recently) does that mean that penciller Darryl Banks is off too? Sadly, that's the rumour... Super Late. Where on Earth is Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son, a 4 issue Elseworlds with Dave Johnson art? Not even Mark knows. Dave's lateness on this book has rivaled Fabry's lateness on Judge Dredd/Batman 2 (which soon became 3, then 4) Well, one and a half issues have been completed over two years, so he's off the book. So will DC have to start from scratch or get someone else to finish the book? Mark Millar's work on the book has already been called 'outstanding' by DC insiders, so we hope for some resolution Totems Across rec.arts.dc.universe, there was a consensus. Totems sucked. One of the V2K event books and apparently the highest ordered of the group (above even Kyle Baker's I Die At Midnight), this book teamed John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Cliffe Steele, Black Orchid and Animal Man against the cataclysm of the new millennium. Written by Tom Peyer and drawn by a variety of artists, after one person said that saying 'Totems sucks' was not enough, Totems artist Duncan Fegredo popped by to comment. "I think short and (bitter?) sweet really says it best...Totems really does suck....and that's official!" However, original editor of the book before he left for pastures new, Stuart Moore was most annoyed. "I'm surprised by the bile exhibited toward this book here (and disappointed by Duncan's comments, which struck me as low-class, especially considering he didn't have time to do the lion's share of the art on the book -- sorry, Duncan)." He then continued "I'll tell you exactly how Totems came to be: I was told about the V2K stunt (not my idea) and called Tom Peyer. I said, "Want to do a one-shot? How about Doom Patrol 2000?" (Well, I had to start somewhere...) He didn't want to touch that, but liked the idea of doing something with the older characters. Tom has enormous affection for these characters; not many people remember this, but he was editor of Animal Man, Doom Patrol, Black Orchid, and Kid Eternity in the first year of Vertigo, and before that assistant editor of Shade, Sandman, and (briefly) Swamp Thing and Hellblazer. Since then, he's become a pretty terrific writer, as fans of Hourman will attest. It seemed like a perfect match. (Full disclosure: He's also a very good friend of mine.)" "I'll freely admit that I didn't think the V2K concept in itself would carry these books, and I was looking for a commercial edge for the one I edited. (I believe it sold best of the books, though not by much -- I agree that six bucks is a lot for a book like this, though it's hard to control that kind of pricing.) But past that, the motives were pure: Tom and I both like these characters, and wanted to see what they'd be up to if, improbably, they were all thrown together. And as for continuity, there's nothing that really violates it here. Animal Man has either (1) dyed and cut his hair and put his costume on again, or (2) taken a little swim through hypertime -- he's appeared in this guise in other DCU books recently. Cliff never really changes much, Swampy regrew to his old appearance (again, as seen elsewhere), and that's Suzy appearing as Black Orchid, though there's no need to mention it in the book itself (all the Orchids have the same memory template). And Shade changes all the time." And indeed over at the DC Message Boards at www.dccomics.com, the readers absolutely loved the book! The only way to see for yourself which side you are on is to buy it. Of course at my local shop, they seem to have sold out... Cy-gone. It's been a while since McFarlane has cancelled a book due to low sales... was Boof And The Bruise Crew the last time? Anyway, looks like Cygor is be heading that way with issue 6. But we also hear that it will be relaunched with another artist pretty soon. Ellis Scotch. I received a rumour purporting to come from an inside Marvel source, claiming that Warren Ellis is a sell-out for returning to Marvel X-books and that this was down to a $100,000 enticement fee. Warren rubbishes this, claiming that he reckons he knows who the original source for this was... and he doesn't work for Marvel any more! That's that rumour scotched then! Love And Pockets. Fresh from their Santa extravaganza, Fantagraphics are now giving away hundreds of individual issues of Love And Rockets to interested retailers in a bid to get readers buying the trade paperbacks and the new Love And Rockets mini series. Any retailer who contacts them will get between 100 and 400 random issues of this quite remarkable comic book to give away to their loyal customers. In each copy of the comics, Fantagraphics will also provide a pre-inserted card which would list and promote all 15 volumes of the Love And Rockets trade paperbacks and offer the consumer a 20 percent discount toward the purchase of any one L&R collection. While you as a retailer are expected to absorb this discount yourself, you do get loads of comics for free, interested readers and, you know, you could always take the cards out and burn them. So, contact Gregory Zura at Fantagraphics now! And of course, to all the comics consumers out there, if you see a glut of Love And Rockets in your local shop suddenly arrive and being sold at full price, blow the whistle! Judge For Yourself. Greg Horn writes promoting his J.U.D.G.E. book, that he's writing and painting for Image. You can see the cover in the new Previews, and despite its awful garishness and dubious subject matter, apparently it's not just another bad girl book. Dear me, you'd have thought Jim Valentino would have had words about the cover though... However, the book does look rather special and while I can't actually recommend something I haven't read, you might want to revisit your Previews and have a peruse. Greg tells me " The art is done by combining traditional techniques with computer enhancements. I'm hoping readers will enjoy the unique look. Try my website at http://www.greghornjudge.com. See you there everyone! Coming To America. I've just been told that one of my pieces of advertising work has won a New York Advertising Award, and that the company should be flying myself, the account handler and my direct superiors out to collect it. So I'll be in New York, New York for the 28th of January I think, probably Friday to Sunday. If anyone wants to meet up, give me a shout and I'll see what I can do. Comic creators, editors and public relations employees at major comic companies take priority of course! Rob Liefeld Sells Out. A quick trip to Ebay sees Rob Liefeld using the internet to shift some original art from his collection. One can pick up a Mignola Man-Bat/Batman piece, the cover to Glory 1 by Mike Deodato Jr, the cover to Coven 4 by Ian Churchill, a pencil sketch of the Newsboy Legion by Jack Kirby and a Captain America In Space splash also by Jack. The selection concludes with a page by Liefeld from Judgment Day 1. At the time of writing, only bids on the non-Awesome stuff, the Mignola piece and the Kirby pages had received bids. I must admit, as an Alan Moore anorak, I'd love the Judgment Day piece, but the minimum bid is three times what I paid for my Marvelman pages and they were by Alan Davis! However, if you'd like to check them out, pop by http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=rider53 and see if there's anything you fancy. Stirring. One last thought... Marvel on AOL... how long will it last if the Time Warner merger means that DC can peek into Marvel's files? And that's all the rumours that are print to fit! See you next time! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] HAD YOUR PHIL? PHIL WHITE ogre4@earthlink.net [Phil has written and edited numerous comics for AC, including MS. VICTORY and BOLT. He self-published the four part OGRE limited series and has been a contributor to CBG and CBEM. After many years as a Marketing and Advertising manager in Southern California, he recently moved to Northern Nevada where he works as a sales representative for a specialty software firm.] http://home.earthlink.net/~ogre4/ I don't know...There's just something about Bruce Timm's artwork that suckers me in, whether it's from his animation work on Superman and Batman, or in his comics work like Avengers 1 1/2 or that great cover Black Panther. Does Timm's style seem cartoony? You bet! Does it have heavy overtones of Jack Kirby? That's for certain! Does he have strong story telling layouts? You betcha! And cute chicks. His Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Supergirl are the best! But, did you know that these female character designs owe as much to a Frazetta influence on the artist as to any others? There is at once an innocence and a hidden power to his style. It is complex in it's simplicity. I like it. That's why, when I saw Timm had provided an explosive cover illustration of Kirby's Big Barda for Comic Book Artist' Special Edition in December I couldn't resist getting a copy. Editor, Jon B. Cooke, has noted in previous issues of the magazine that, in addition to a personal fondness for the publisher in that particular decade, he has an abundance of interviews and material about DC Comics in the Seventies. This issue is such a compilation and a great compliment to the regular magazine series. The highlights, for me, began with separate interviews with Mark Evanier and Steve Sherman on their individual "takes" on Kirby's Fourth World work, (New Gods, Mr. Miracle, Forever People, and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen) and development of unpublished series such as Soul Love for DC. (I think it was Steve Sherman who came to Citrus College as Spider-Man at my invitation when I was organizing the colleges' first comic book collecting club way back in 1969...But that is story best left to another column.) Considering both gentlemen served as assistants to Jack Kirby during the 70's, it's interesting how differently they see things. Cooke conducts a revealing interview with war comics veteran Russ Heath that is illustrated with pages from Our Army At War and a recreation of a Sea Devils cover. I was less impressed with a pompous offering from Alex Toth. It is an awkwardly written, hand lettered observation about DC's editors in the 70's. (Can you imagine, they actually corrected his art!) I was even less thrilled by the interview with the equally pontifical Neal Adams on the project what he, and the interviewer, considered to be his greatest achievement for DC, the Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali treasury edition. There follows a nifty interview with cover artist Timm on his Kirby influences and the use of Fourth World characters and concepts on his Superman cartoon series. Finally, there is a brief, but nicely illustrated tribute to Bernie Wrightson's DC contributions of that era. The magazine features plenty of pencil pages and examples of the various artists work in this 64 page, comic size edition. Overall, it's another great issue of an important magazine about our hobby. You say you haven't seen this special edition on the racks at your local comic shop? That's because it is only available with a subscription to the bi-monthly Comic Book Artist from TwoMorrows, publishers of The Jack Kirby Collector and Alter Ego. www.twomorrows.com pw For those reading this on the web version of CBEM I have posted the cover to this special issue with the kind permission of Jon Cooke. Cover by Bruce Timm. Big Barda (C) 2000 DC Comics, Inc. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] VENTING MY SPLEEN David Groenewegen david.groenewegen@lib.monash.edu.au [David Groenewegen is 30, a librarian and sadly addicted to comics. He has been reading them since before he could read, and plans to keep on doing so. His first trip out of the house with his infant son was to a comic shop. Can't start 'em too young. ] VENTING MY SPLEEN David Groenewegen email: david.groenewegen@lib.monash.edu.au Phew. Looks like we're all still here then. Having just finished my list of great comics, I've been presented with a new candidate over Christmas. I finally read Moore and Campbell's FROM HELL. Quick, aren't I? To be quite honest, the idea of a comic about Jack the Ripper, even when written by Alan Moore, had never really appealed to me. And I wasn't much of a fan of Eddie Campbell's art. And when it first came out it was too expensive. So I bought the first issue, but never went any further. What an idiot. Of course, getting the story in the form of the nice new TPB published by Eddie Campbell's company is a bonus. Great value for money, and I've heard that the original Kitchen Sink issues were pretty crappy - pages out of order, cheap binding that fell apart, poor print quality. And I like to support a little guy like Campbell too, if only for the very amusing Q&A session I once saw him give. So what's the comic like. It's good. It's damn good. Moore managed to make me far more interested in a topic in which I had previously had no interest than I would have thought possible, while Campbell's art, which still seems a little awkward in places, evokes a mood and a sense of time and location like no one else. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Alan Moore can always pick the right artist to work with, and he always gets their best work. I don't want to give away too much of the plot here, but the plot is not really that important anyway. Moore reveals who he thinks the Ripper is pretty early on. There's certainly no ambiguity in who does the slashing , or in his motives for doing so. But the view into the murderer's mind is horrific, and the view of his crimes even more so. The art may be in black and white, but Eddie Campbell must still have a pretty strong stomach. To be honest, there were pages I couldn't bear to look at closely. There were times when reading the book made me feel quite ill. And I had a most unpleasant dream where I was a part of the story. That's good comic book writing though. Better to be freaked out by a comic, to be so involved that you dream about it than to read it and then forget it. And that's just the obvious "action" oriented stuff. As usual with an Alan Moore book, there's plenty of things lurking below the surface. That's Moore's real genius - he can say something clever without making it boring. There's a lot of stuff in FROM HELL about the bad energy from the Ripper murders polluting the next century, but I think I'll need to re-read the whole book to take it all in. Nevertheless, the other day I was reading a newspaper column about how most of the 20th century was affected by the nineteenth - Hitler, Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Roosevelt, Einstein, Gandhi, Edison etc etc were all born in the 1800s, yet stamped themselves indelibly on the 1900s. So it may not be as fanciful as it seems. And Moore's idea of the progression of mass murders has been born out by later events. I don't know if FROM HELL will push WATCHMEN off the top of my "Best ever Alan Moore book" list yet - I'll need to read it a few more times, to see if I get something new out of it every time, the way I do with WATCHMEN. But I think it's one of those books that I'll want to re-read every few years. The sort of book you need when you're feeling a bit stale, and it seems like there's nothing worth reading anymore. I'm looking forward to it already. David Groenewegen davidhar@lib.monash.edu.au ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Sound And Fury Craig Lemon craiglemon@aol.com 2000AD Prog 1174 So 2000AD enters the year 2000 at last and revels in the fact that its name won't be changing. An interesting decision, if a little obvious (the only realistic alternative being 3000AD, which would be a little too futuristic I suspect), as you wonder what the non-2000AD reading hordes will regard it as in a few years time. In the eighties (when I started reading), the title seemed suitably futuristic and forward-looking that it added to the excitement of the comic. In future years, I have a nasty suspicion that the comic will look retro to potential new purchasers, and possibly put them off - how can the self-styled "Galaxy's Greatest Comic" let itself be saddled with a now-passe name? The introductory blurb by the Mighty Tharg says that "It's the quality of the stories and art inside [the] pages that determine whether it is still entertaining, relevant and worth buying". Which is, of course, how it should be, people shouldn't keep on buying a comic just because they've bought it for years, just to keep the collection going, they should buy it because it is still interesting, because it still says something to them, because it's still just plain entertainment. This, of course, assumes all you need to do to survive is to hold on to your current readership, which is where 2000AD makes its mistake - how can it attract new readers, who won't know the quality of the stories from adam until they buy the mag, how do you get them to buy it in the first place? By selling a futuristic comic with an "old" name? I personally don't think that's a good idea. A relaunch with a new name, a new advertising campaign, and a new attitude would've been nice - perhaps they have that planned for the real new millennium, at the end of 2000. Anyway, enough of the discussion of the name of the comic and its future based on that name, what about their manifesto of quality stories making people buy it again and again? Well, I was an avid reader of 2000AD from about issue 500 through to 900, and just couldn't bring myself to stop buying it, despite being fairly dissatisfied with the contents from about issue 750-800 or so. I just got into the habit of buying it, then leaving it for ages, and reading a chunk of issues at once. Judge Dredd just seemed to be retreading the same ground as always, Strontium Dog was boring, other stories ended up being completely unmemorable. However, the odd spark of life and originality every now and then kept me going, and it finally took those last couple of years to finally stop buying the mag. During the JD: Scorpion Dance story a little while ago, I picked up a few more issues, based on someone at work raving about it, but although the JD story was quite good, the rest of the stories left me cold. So it took until issue 2000 over this Christmas, and the current issue, 1174, before I decided to seriously look at it again, with a view to deciding whether it really has picked up for the new year, whether the quality of stories and art was high enough to return to it, or whether it has had its day and is ready to put out to pasture. The news isn't good, I'm afraid. Unimpressive cover to 1174 kicks things off, along with a over-used byline - "Here's Johnny!". Oh please. First story, as ever, is Judge Dredd. "Shakespeare at War" by Alan Grant and Siku, is "Shakespeare in Love" Mega-City One-style. That is, lots of guns, lots of violence. If you've ever read Dredd before, there is nothing in these six pages that's different. Second story, the return of Johnny Alpha as Strontium Dog, in part 2 of "The Kreeler Conspiracy", by Wagner and Ezquerra. Johnny Alpha bursts into a bar and captures a fugitive. Ho hum. Bit of subplot added in for a future hook, but it's all obvious, all run-of-the-mill. Third story, Missionary Man in "The Promised Land", part 1, by Gordon Rennie and Alex Ronald. In the Cursed Earth, the irradiated wastelands that is future-America, between Mega-City One and Texas City, there is no law, there is no order, there is just_the Missionary Man. A convoy of pilgrims from Texas City is heading for their "Promised Land", as prophesied by the Elder Joshua, when they are ambushed by the Junkyard Dogs, a marauding band of thugs. Missionary Man quickly finishes the Dogs off, and eventually agrees to accompany the pilgrims on their journey - their simplistic faith in the Promised Land, and their extreme naivete at what awaits them in the Cursed Earth tugs at his heartstrings, evidently. The most promising story in this prog. Last story is Glimmer Rats, by Rennie (again) and Mark Harrison. This is part 1 of yet another war story - soldiers of some sort are sent through a dimensional breach into the Glimmer, a tough war zone, where it's every man for himself, and every man against the bugs. Not much of consequence happens in this first part, just the promise of more guns, more violence, and more bugs to be killed than you can shake a stick out - all very reminiscent of 2000AD's own Rogue Trooper (bunch of soldiers sent to fight bunch of other soldiers) mixed with Starship Troopers. Again, nothing new, nothing to hook one into wanting to read further installments - no doubt there's a traitor in the humans camp, to be revealed in part 12 or whenever. Next Prog blurb - Judge Dredd in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Lawgivers" (are the JD writers in some sort of film-fixation mode, or what?), more Strontium Dog and Glimmer Rats, and a double-length Missionary Man, which sort of almost makes issue 1175 worth considering. Overall, an extreme disappoint, "not as good as it used to be", and only really worth considering for Missionary Man in this issue and 1175. On reflection, I may well go for 1175 based on the double-sized installment of MM, but beyond that? Don't think so. [Abuse, thoughtful comments, chat, or even freebies to the above e-mail address!] ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] Stranger in a Strange Land Jennifer M. Contino Jencomx3@aol.com [Jennifer M. Contino is 27 and a life-long lover of comics books and super heroes! While most girls were playing with Barbies and watching cute little shows, she was playing with Mego's and watching the Superfriends and any other super hero show she could find on the television! NOW almost 19 years later she owns over 26000 comics, has written some interviews for SEQUENTIAL TART--the online e-zine, is a frequently published letter of comment writer, is a contributing freelance writer for WizardWorld online and is the official HOST of the DC COMICS chats on AOL! She is pursuing work in the comics field at DC and is trying to start her own independent comics company!] Lately, I am so mad I would like to KILL Terry Moore! NOT only did he leave us wondering if Katchoo and David of Strangers in Paradise were alive or dead a few issues again, he continues to LOW BLOW us month after month! Last month we watched in horror as Katchoo was forced to kick Francine (her best friend) out of her life and rejoin a life that she'd left behind many years ago. This month not only does Francine meet the much hinted at man destined to become her HUSBAND but we finally find out that David is severely injured and MIGHT not make it to see next issue! GRRR HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT EACH MONTH FOR THIS??? BUT you know what? THIS is what comics should be about! Something that stirs our emotions--disturbs us that much--that after we read it, much like a junkie, we are demanding more of our FIX! We want what comes NEXT! I can't remember the last time I read Wonder Woman, Batman, or Superman and HAD to have the conclusion RIGHT then and there! Wow..it's been a long time! Lately it's the independents: Strangers in Paradise, Kabuki, Timespell, Dreamwalkers, Quicken Forbidden, etc.,, that have got me salivating waiting on baited breath for the next issue! Those series are what comics should be: suspensful, exciting, adventurous, and FUN! All add a different element than most of the regular monthlies--that are lucky to last seven issues without getting the 'CAN.' Man..when was the last times comics were fun? When was the last time we all could afford a company crossover event or an intercompany crossover event? Don't you all miss the days when comics were a buck or less? Sure the paper wasn't as nice, but who cared? The story was aces! AND even if the story was not 'aces' we only payed a buck so who cares? I keep thinking about how if comics were fifteen years ago like they are now I'd probably not be reading them..and that would be a shame! But then again what do I know? I'm just a stranger in a strange land! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] SOME PAGES, A COVER, AND A FEW STAPLES Marlan Harris mar93@aol.com [Marlan Harris lives and works in Burbank, CA.] SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS – AN IMAGINARY TALE (DC) John Byrne returns to one of the characters he helped redefine, for better or worse: Superman. It's a tale split fairly evenly between Superman and Batman and there are even some places where it works pretty well. The story is well out of continuity and both versions of the two characters and the supporting characters for each are distinctly pre-Crisis, if you have to try to place them. And since it's an Elseworlds tale, Byrne can go whole hog in rewriting the characters and their histories, in this case starting the story in 1939, roughly when the two main characters meet, and with versions of the characters that we recognize, and progressing through their histories as if time existed in comics like it does in real life (the characters age, the characters have children, and so on). Byrne tells the stories in roughly 8 segments, skipping 10 years between each story. And each story gets half a prestige format issue, out of 4, so each separate story gets 22 pages – a normally full issue. But there is so much going on in this story that looking at 80 years of these characters just doesn't work well, looking through such a narrow microscope. To his credit, though, Byrne sticks to the limits he's set for himself and keeps out a large amount of extra plotlines and subplots that a lesser writer would probably throw in. And it is a complete story – overall, there is a beginning, middle, and end, even if Byrne does cheat the last part by skipping ahead 920 years just to tell an anti-climactic story that ties into the very first chapter. Byrne adjusts his writing for the evolution of the characters, especially when comparing the innocent, goofy story set in 1929 to the rougher story set in 1989, but his art style doesn't change enough to really make the shift have an impact – might have been nice to have a series of different artists illustrate each part, a la FANBOY, but it's obvious Byrne wanted to keep it all within his own house. Which is fine, since it really doesn't hurt the story and there is some cohesiveness given to the story because of it. Byrne really is a good storyteller, both in writing and art, and he has some great ideas here, but his talent has been polished so much over the years since his superstardom that his work has become at many times dull, sometimes predictable, and without the spark that make his past work, even AVENGERS WEST COAST, such thrilling reads. I'll almost avoid the pun and say that he's just burned himself out. Best to borrow these issues from a friend if you're curious. You probably won't be too terribly disappointed, but you won't want to have paid for these issues yourself. And I doubt DC will bother to collect it into a trade paperback. JLAPE (DC) DC has gone on record as saying that this series of 7 JLA-created annuals was meant as a joke. It might then be in the execution of that joke that makes this story so bad. Monkeys are always funny but here it just makes for some crappy reading. The first story, in the JLA ANNUAL, is bad enough to keep any reader from checking out the rest. Which is probably for the best, since they generally don't get much better after that. Annuals were once reserved for hot new talent, and there is some decent work from Gus Vasquez in the MARTIAN MANHUNTER ANNUAL, but they also rely on that other Annual staple, the hack freelancer that the editor is probably just doing a favor for, giving a friend a gig. Though it's hard to understand why John Ostrander and Keith Giffen would do such bad writing work (on the AQUAMAN and GREEN LANTERN ANNUALs, respectively). Though there are a few good points to the stories: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and artist Joe Phillips (also the creative team for the unthrilling but pretty BODY DOUBLES) get their SUPERMAN ANNUAL done as quickly as possible, and Chuck Dixon barely uses the monkeys and turns the BATMAN ANNUAL into a good (but not as good as the regular series) Nightwing story. And yes, it's good to see Art Adams doing even hack cover work, but do you really want to spend $2.95 a pop ($23.60 total) on it? NEAL ADAMS: THE SKETCHBOOK (Vanguard) This is a nice-looking package that tries to be a comprehensive look at Neal Adams and his body of work, in comics and other artistic media. Unfortunately, all it turns out to be is random drawings and some of Adams' personal sketchbook work that never got published. Adams provides a scattering of commentary and some lessons for comics and line artists that come straight from a master of the form. The pictures, wherever they come from, are, of course, great, and it's an interesting look into the mind and abilities of one of the great masters of the field. It's just a shame that there aren't samples of his actual, published comics work to make this a truly in-depth look at the artist. And at $28, it's probably best left for the hardcore fans who already have every other item that Adams has ever produced. mar93@aol.com Http://members.aol.com/mar93/BoneMachine.html ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts silhouet9@aol.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] MOE Sidenote: New at Broadway Comics and Cards are: ZZZ #1, Tin Can Man #1 by Image, Legs One-Shot by Image, Relative Heroes #1 by DC Comics and Trouble Magnet #2 by DC Comics and a whole lot more! Good shipment of comics came in (not like last week), so there is plenty to choose from. For more information about any of these above-mentioned titles, email Wilson Lew, owner of Broadway Comics & Cards at: wilsonlew@sprintmail.com Name: Operator 99 Publisher: Comics Conspiracy Publications Price: $3.95 Written by: Doug Miers Drawn by: John Bosco/pencils Sam Fonseca - Tie Alexande - Rob Lean/inkers Comments: I've read many conspiracy books and magazines. I've heard everything from the Illuminati to The New World Order to the notorious Skull Club (a club that President Bush was a member of). But, one conspiracy I have overlooked is the one that Doug Miers brings to light. This conspiracy claims that the telephone company owns the world government. In Operator 99 - Doug Miers makes this conspiracy come alive! It's believable in the way Doug sets up the story. I found myself fridgeting as I picked up my own telephone after reading this shocking story! I will brief you a bit on the story, without giving too much away (I hope). In this comic book you will learn the dangers of cel phones. You will meet a mysterious locksmith who comes to the rescue of a woman named Belle, who has locked herself out of her car. This mysterious locksmith who I later learn is an eco-terrorist named Jim Walker helps Belle out, by using her cel phone as a electronic key, by tampering with some mechanisms in the phone. Belle is a telephone operator and is late to work, she encounters her ever so bitchy supervisor Mrs. Birch. Government types swarm the telephone company, for what reason? Ummm...you're going to have to purchase this gem of a comic book to find out why. Remember the office scene in the Matrix? You get the same feel here. Are you paranoid? No? Well, you will be after reading this comic book! A whole slew of things occur within the story from debriefings, learning about a hacker who can tap into a top secret databases, breaking into transmissions, etc. With all this going on, can the FBI and NSA be far behind? Nope...they're in this story too! Think about this..."if you control the flow of information - you have absolute power!" Maybe, the telephone company does control everything, I know they control my Packard Bell computer as I must go through my phone service to access the internet. So, maybe, just maybe Doug is right about this bizarre conspiracy. What would happen if all the computers crashed around the world? What would happen if all global communications were crippled? The only way to find out these answers, is picking up this comic book! Big surprise twist to this story as you reach the end. Learn who Mae Fletcher, FBI really is! Ain't telling! See the big helicopter confrontation, this is worse than what happened in the movie Capricorn One! I can hear Jim Morrison's song now...."This is the end...." If you love conspiracies, you have got to get this comic book! Operator 99 damn near scared the hell out of me! Something like this could really take place! Thanks Doug Miers, for the nightmares! I'll never pick up a blamed phone again! You stayed out of the water when Jaws opened up nationwide in theatres, now you will not pick up a phone after reading Operator 99! Check out their website at: http://www.comicsconspiracy.com You can email Doug at: Doug@comicsconspiracy.com One more thing, wait until you see the spectacular cover and the great colored artwork inside this high-quality comic book! Name: Akiko #37 Publisher: Sirius Written and Drawn by: Mark Crilley Price: $2.50 Comments: Akiko and friends are moonshopping. They need a new moon for Planet Smoo. After entering an alternate universe called Farflux Dimension. They all fly on a Zimbie Fly (looks like a giant dragon fly) to Artist's Colony of Hostle Von Heeplewick to purchase a new moon. After paying 1500 gilpots for the ride on the Zimbie Fly, they are only left with 20 gilpots to purchase a new moon. Things are not easy for Akiko and friends. They meet a very unusual character named Monsieur Skrit who has a notepad for a face. When he is angry with you, he draws an angry face. If he feels casual, he draws 2 eyebrows and 2 eyes and leaves it at that. Skrit also has pencil for drawing board. Step into the fantasy world of Akiko, you won't be disappointed. Also, check out the cool Akiko/Artesia x-over back cover! Name: Paul Chadwick's The World Below 1 of 4 Publisher: Dark Horse Maverick Written and Drawn by: Paul Chadwick Price: $2.95 Comments: Team of Six are good team players and seem to be concerned for all members of the team. As Gilbert started acting strangely, their curiosity brought on apprehension, they became worried for Gilbert. The wonderment of their discoveries gives this story a feel that past TV shows once had, some of those TV shows that come in mind are "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", "Time Tunnel" and the original "Star Trek". The discovery of the forest was filled with amazement - their discoveries are extraordinary. Layla dealt with Gilbert's instant hostility and bitterness with care and understanding, again showing that she represents a team that has a strong esprit de corps. Some of the highlights of this story are seeing all of the strange plants and animals. The ring trees AKA possible evil trees was just plain weird and the disgusting threatening floater would have me running for the hills...I thought mosquitoes were bad. I'm surprised Gilbert didn't lose his mind as he discovers he has a third hand & arm growing out of his chest. Just like when the alien popped out of the belly of the astronaut in the original "Alien" movie, the scare came fast as the beer can was thrown and the arm tore out of his T-shirt to snatch it mid-air. Everything was going on in poor Gilbert's mind, as he thought he had cancer and then the joke about eggs growing inside him and catching the reaction of the whole team as they hesitate, thinking this joke was a real statement of facts. To know that Gilbert had much more than common cancer, must have been a shocker not only for him, but also for the whole team! What a twist to this story, as the arm/hand becomes the hero in this tale of strangeness. A freak deformity that has a mind of its own. The oddness prevailed in this story from the beginning page to the ending page. I was left glued in my seat! Paul Chadwick's The World Below 1 of 4 was power punched with dramatic effects! Concrete watch out! Name: Soulsearchers and Company #39 Publisher: Claypool Comics Writer: Peter David Drawn by: Neil Vokes/pencils Bob Wiacek/inks Price: $2.50 Comments: I get the Deadbeats view of the Horrorfest '99 and now I get the Soulsearchers and Company view of Horrorfest '99. How cool can that be? Loved the introductions of Soulsearchers and then later with the Hosts of Horrorfest. Each host is unique and different and if by chance there was some character development on each character, I would be most interested in knowing each and everyone of them. Of course there is plenty of history on the Soulsearchers, so when I see Bridget without Baraka - I know her heart is aching or when Dr. V.V. gets into it with Tiberus Fox, I know there is some real argumental tension going on between these two. Got a kick out of the humor placed in this story, as what they thought was George Lucas, was only Walt Simonson. I definitely got a good chuckle out of that one. Then when I thought the laughs had subsided, here comes the one with Baraka thinking he is being watched by a crystal ball and with a second thought decides it might be what he had for lunch, a tuna melt. It was nice seeing Hermano in the story and also seeing Spookie Suzie (even if it was a short time). It really places the Claypool Universe into perspective. All 3 titles coming out of Claypool are definitely connected. I kind of like the offbeat Movie Maestro. He might look like a dork, but he knows his stuff, as he relates the history of the Wunderkindling. Here in my reality, my son drags me to the Arco Arena to see celebs like: Jessica Simpson, Ricky Martin, N'Sync, ATeens, Wild Orchid & a WWF Live show....why in the heck can't Sacra-tomato have a Horrorfest '99 like in Claypool Comics?? Uggh! If I could jump into a Claypool Comic, I would, as long as no vampire from Deadbeats takes a bite out of me. If I had my choice, I would probably just hang out with Elvira and Bridget Lockridge! Soulsearchers and Company #39 was cooking! Superfast MOE Sidenote: If you have a chance, pick up The Wicked #1 by Avalon Comics! Hmmm..The Wicked has potential...I like it! Perhaps later, I will discuss it in full, right now, I got to get back to reading it! Name: Drawing Slate #3 Publisher: Marky Comics Price: $1.00 Comments: Great little comic book with fantastic artwork by: Richard Vasseur, William Carlisle, Alex dela Rosa and Mark Cardoso. Some of the artwork you will find are: Moriah by the Waterfall by Mark Cardoso, A Classic Spoof Comic Cover done in early 1994 - Marky Comics Alternative Lex and Rex, Alex dela Rosa Mark Jagger sketch, Skyhawk x-over with Jagger by William Carlisle and a whole lot more! For more information you can contact the publisher at: Cardoso@netcom.com or check out the Marky Comics website at: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts129911 Go there now, you won't be disappointed. Rick Bradford / PO Box 1591 / El Cajon, CA / 92022 My comic and zine reviews can be seen at www.indyworld.com and in the sporadic e-version of Poopsheet that appears at http://www.marsimport.com/poopsheet.html. E-mail: rickbradford@earthlink.net. Hello, Friends of Poopsheet! Here's a comic review I wrote recently that I can't seem to find a home for. I believe the second issue of 'Weasel' is also out now -- go get it! (If you wish to be removed from my mailing list, please let me know) --Rb ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WEASEL #1 ($4.95 + post. from Fantagraphics Books / 7563 Lake City Way NE / Seattle, WA / 98115) The first issue of this much-anticipated series is something of a turning point for Dave Cooper, both in style and content. The lead story (which is almost half the issue) is ripe with the usual elements of his work — uncertainty, beautiful depravity and surrealism — but the art looks as though it was inked by someone else. It has a frantic, sketchbook feel to it and is completely devoid of Cooper's usual thick, clean linework. Not to say that it's unappealing, but it certainly is a change. Cooper explains that the purpose of 'Weasel' is to provide an outlet for a handful of projects that have been bouncing around in his head and it looks as though he's taking this opportunity to experiment a little. The lead story itself is one about an artist who chooses to work with models who are, shall we say, less than glamorous. I don't know how autobiographical it is, but it certainly falls in line with Cooper's other work such as 'Suckle'. He seems to be a master of writing really beautiful stories for really ugly characters. Personally, I think the real beauty of much of his work is that — no matter how ugly the characters or how surreal the landscape — I can always relate to the stories and there's often something wonderful to be found. I wrote this paragraph to fulfill my awkward position as a reviewer: to explain *why* you should check out the book without actually giving the story away. Go read it! This rest of the book is also worth a look. It includes another seven-page story and other miscellania by Cooper and a particularly loopy ten-pager by Patrick McEown. This project is a bit bold in that diehard Dave Cooper fans (such as myself) may have to be won over to the new look(s). My guess, though, is that most of them, like myself, are willing to give it a shot. --Rick Bradford ___________ M.O.E. Sidenote: Today, thought I would give this one comic book shop a shot, called Comics & Collectibles on Fruitridge, just to see if they had anything different than Broadway Comics & Cards or A1 Comics. To my surprise I found these off-beat comic books: The Metabarons #1 by Humanoids Publishing, Kelly #1 by Image, Pablo's Inferno by Abismo, Kia Asamiya's Dark Angel, Intrigue #2 by Image and a whole lot more. For more information about any of these above titles, you're going to have to call Sacramento information to get their phone number...sorry. MOE Sidenote: At Broadway Comics & Cards this week are: The Magdalem Preview by Top Cow; Hieroglyph; Soul Saga #1 by Top Cow; Gen 13 #49 by Wildstorm; Spawn #91 and a whole lot more. Any questions about any of the above-mentioned titles, you can contact Wilson Lew, owner of Broadway Comics & Cards at: wilsonlew@sprintmail.com Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off, until next time..... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] My View David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com [David LeBlanc is the Editor of the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine. He is a long time fan of comics and the electronic media - having been the moderator of the comics forums on WME, FIDONET and the Comic Book Network. He and his wife are attempting to raise two teenage sons in a suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts. David supports his comic book habit by working as the Manager of Marketing and Sales for a privately owned manufacturer of electro-mechanical components.] TIMESPELL #4 32 pages, Black & white, $2.95/$495 CAN Club 408 Graphics 1668 Brimfield Circle Eldersburg, MD 21784 www.timespell.com Story: Rich Henn & Russ Colchamiro Pencils: Rich Henn Inks: Mostafa Moussa Covers: Brian Rood & Tim Ogline This is the comic that wouldn't die. If you have followed our letters page and news section you would know that Issue #4 may not have been solicited and sold by Diamond had it not been for many folks who have read and enjoyed Rich Henn's supernatural crime drama and urge the powers that be to give it a chance. Well it got the chance, an almost unheard of event and it is now on the stands for you to judge. I urge you to seek it out and if you don't find it especially ask your dealer to reorder it [JUL991328] to keep the momentum going. This is one heck of a good read. Detective McMurphy caught a serial killer known as the cradle robber and somehow the killer claims to know him. Later he escapes somehow from jail and McMurphy fears for his pregnant wife, the killer's usual target are pregnant women. A confrontation at his own home leaves another cop, and the killer dead. Now Mike is jammed up for the first escape and soon the body disappears as well. Internal affairs thinks maybe Gillespie, the killer, did know Mike and somehow Mike knows more than he is telling. Behind the scenes a power broker in the city, Joshua Steele is manipulating other cops, Gillespie and even some very powerful citizens to achieve his own ends. Friends of Mike, related to a mobster, try to help and even his own brother is seeing ghosts and strange writings no one else can. All this leads to an invitation for Mike to meet Steels at his office building. But he is not really prepared for the other people that will be there or the fate that is planned for him. This chapter brings a lot of the story elements together that have been brewing for a long time. The pace is picking up and the ending is a killer. Rich has a real nice style in his pencils that is complimented nicely by Mostafa's inks. The cover art is spectacular as well. The combination of the mystery and supernatural elements, the intrigue and betrayals, are the stuff of captivating fiction. I urge you to help us keep this book alive and join in the fun of reading a comic that sets an example for others to follow. Now go get it today. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [13] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage ncrl@mediaone.net +++WINNER OF THE 1996 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE+++ http://www.jacksonville.net/~ncrl New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, / /2000, compiled by Charles LePage with information from Suncoast Comics. This is the *preliminary* list and is not complete. The completed list is posted weekly, usually Monday evening, at rec.arts.comics.info, http://www.jacksonville.net/~ncrl, and Compuserve's Comics Publishers Forum. "TPB" = "trade paperback". "GN" = "graphic novel". "AA" = "available again". "SC" = "softcover". "HC" = "hardcover". "S/N" = "signed/numbered". "AR" = "ask retailer about price". PUBLISHER TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR PRODUCTIONS) Life Of A Fetus #3, 2.95 Little Gloomy #2, 2.95 Oddjob #4, 2.95 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie & Friends #40, 1.99 Betty & Veronica #146, 1.99 Betty & Veronica Digest #110, 2.19 Sonic Super Special #12, 2.49 DARK ANGEL PRODUCTIONS Blackjack Blood & Honor TPB, 11.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Dark Horse Presents #150, 4.50 Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan The Rivers Of Blood #3 (Of 8), 2.95 Gunsmith Cats Kidnapped #3 (Of 10), 2.95 Sergio Aragones Groo Mightier Than The Sword #1 (Of 4), 2.95 Usagi Yojimbo #35, 2.95 DC COMICS Animaniacs Featuring Pinky And The Brain #58, 1.99 Aquaman #65, 1.99 Astro City Vol 2 #21, 2.50 Batman Dark Victory #4 (Of 13), 2.95 Batman Gotham Knights #1, 2.50 Beast Boy #3 (Of 4), 2.95 Cartoon Network Starring #7, 1.99 Crimson #16, 2.50 Deadenders #1, 2.50 Disavowed #1, 2.50 Dreaming #46, 2.50 Four Horsemen #2 (Of 4), 2.50 Gen 13 #49, 2.50 Invisibles Kissing Mister Quimper TPB, 19.95 JLA Created Equal #1 (Of 2), 5.95 JSA #8, 2.50 Legends Of The DC Universe #26, 1.99 Millennium Edition Detective Comics #327, 2.50 Mr Majestic #7, 2.50 Proposition Player #4 (Of 6), 2.50 Robin #74, 1.99 Star Trek The Next Generation Perchance To Dream #2 (Of 4), 2.50 Superboy #72, 1.99 Superman The Man Of Steel #98, 1.99 The Witching Hour #3 (Of 3), 5.95 Titans #13, 2.50 Wonder Woman Archives Vol 2 HC, 49.95 FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS Black Hole #7, 4.50 GEMSTONE PUBLISHING Extra #3 (Of 5), 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Blue #2 (resolicited), 2.50 Fathom #0, 2.50 Kabuki Reflections #3, 4.95 Kiss Psycho Circus #26, 2.25 Soul Saga #1, 2.50 Tales Of The Darkness #5 (resolicited), 2.95 Top Cow Classics Witchblade #1, 2.95 Witchfinder #3, 2.95 IRONCAT Futabakun Change Vol 4 #1, 2.95 Hyper Dolls Vol 3 #5, 2.95 New Vampire Miyu Vol 5 #2, 2.95 Panku Ponk #6, 2.95 Ogenki Clinic Vol 5 #4 (adult), 2.95 Sepia #1 (adult), 2.95 MARVEL COMICS Black Panther #16, 2.50 Captain America #27, 1.99 Daredevil #10 (resolicited), 2.50 Incredible Hulk #12, 2.99 Marvel Selects Spider-Man #3 (Of 12), 2.99 Mutant X #17 (resolicited), 1.99 Peter Parker Spider-Man #15, 1.99 Thunderbolts #36, 1.99 X-51 #8, 2.50 X-Man #61, 1.99 ONI PRESS INC. Grrl Scouts #4 (Of 4) (resolicited), 2.95 Whiteout Melt #3 (Of 4), 2.95 TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS Dear Julia TPB, 12.95 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Animerica Extra Vol 3 #2, 4.95 Dragonball Z Part 2 #14 (Of 14), 2.95 Maison Ikkoku Part 9 #10 (Of 10), 2.95 Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Vol 1 TPB, 15.95 magazines Comic Shop News #657, AR NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD RELEASE DATE NEW DATE DARK HORSE Red Tide TP 12/04 Jan 2000 DC COMICS Dreams Of The Darkchylde #0 06/16 TBA Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 06/30 TBA League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #5 12/10 01/26 IMAGE COMICS Blue Behind-the-Scenes TV Pilot Book 01/05 Cancelled Spawn Bible Vol. II Book of the Dead 12/29 Cancelled Weasel Guy: Road Trip #3 12/08 Cancelled *Please Note: These dates are tentative. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [14] HYPE! Section Various From: bcemylar@cwbusiness.com (BILL COLE ENTERPRISES, INC.) High Quality 9 Pocket Sleeves for baseball, trading or those Pokemon cards! We were so tired of waiting for someone else to produce our BC-Ezees™ 9 pocket polypropylene sleeves that we’ve decided to manufacture our own. These new and improved sleeves are of the highest quality material on the market! No more waiting weeks or months. In stock by Friday January 14, 2000 for immediate delivery. YOU WANT ‘EM WE’LL SHIP ‘EM! Catalog #934 250 @ $26.00 500 @ $48.00 1 case (1,000) $85.00/case 6 cases+** $82.00/case 42 cases $75.00/case FREIGHT RATES IF YOUR ZIP CODE BEGINS WITH 0,1 2,3,4 5,6,7 8,9 ADD For each box of 250 5.50 6.00 7.00 7.50 For each full case (up to 6) 10.00 12.00 17.50 21.00 Order on line at www.neponset.com/bcemylar or e-mail us at bcemylar@cwbusiness. com Questions? call 1-781-986-2653 FAX 1-781-986-2656 Thank you for your continued support. Bill Cole Enterprises, Inc. +++++ Coming very soon: SUGAR RUSH, a comic book showcasing the talents of Eye Candy Comics. A variety of stories spanning many different genres from superheroes to crime fiction to horror to science fiction to western. Featuring: ILLKIDZ, tales of children with great powers. By Rick Cortes (Slave Labor’s LOVE IN TIGHTS, co-creator of Image’s MONSTER FIGHTERS, INC.) ORO VALLEY, a neo-science fiction western set in Arizona, 2575 AD. By John Cummins. REDWOOD, a unique vampire saga. By Jeff and Rachel West. MILLENNIUM BUG, the adaptation of the independent short film. By Michael Carter (artist for the online cartoon strip MICKEY HART’S DAILY JOURNAL). "Totem," a superhero adventure. By Brian Griesbach. GUNMETALGRAY, experimental crime fiction. By Marlan Harris (columnist for the Comic Book E-Magazine). Brought to you by some of Hollywood's young visual effects artists and designers, whose credits include SABRINA THE TEENAGED WITCH, POWER RANGERS, SPAWN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, and the films KNOCK-OFF and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. The Eye Candy Comics crew will be at APE, the Alternative Press Expo, in San Francisco on February 5, 2000, showing promotional materials and art, selling T-shirts, giving away sugary candy, and making general fools of themselves. Stop by and give us a look! Also check out the exciting new web site at www.eyecandycomics.com or join the Eye Candy Comics mailing list by e-mailing mar93@aol.com. First issue hitting stores–hard—in mid-2000. "Eye Candy Comics… mmmmm, tasty!" ______________________________________________________________________ -----------------------